FAMILY XIII. 
AGITHALI ; Vieill. 
GENUS XXIX. — PAR US, LinnjsuS. 
151. PARUS ATRICAPILLUS, LINNAEUS AND WILSON. 
BLACK-CAPT TITMOUSE. 
WILSON, PLATE VIII. FIG. IV. 
This is one of our resident birds, active, noisy, and 
restless; hardy beyond any of his size, braving* the 
severest cold of our continent as far north as the 
country round Hudson’s Bay, and always appearing 
most lively in the coldest weather. The males have a 
variety of very sprightly notes, which cannot, indeed, 
be called a song, but rather a lively, frequently repeated, 
and often varied twitter. They are most usually seen 
during the fall and winter, when they leave the depths 
of the woods, and approach nearer to the scenes of 
cultivation. At such seasons they abound among ever- 
greens, feeding on the seeds of the pine tree ; they are 
also fond of sunflower seeds, and associate in parties of 
six, eight, or more, attended by the Carolina nuthatch, 
the red-bellied black-cap t nuthatch, the crested tit- 
mouse, brown creeper, and small spotted woodpecker ; 
the whole forming a very nimble and restless company, 
whose food, manners, and dispositions are pretty much 
alike. About the middle of April they begin to build, 
choosing the deserted hole of a squirrel or wood- 
pecker, and sometimes, with incredible labour, digging 
out one for themselves. The female lays six white 
eggs, marked with minute specks of red ; the first brood 
appear about the beginning of June, and the second to- 
wards the end of July; the whole of the family continue 
to associate together during winter. They traverse the 
