216 
PARUS ATRICAPILLUS. 
woods in regular progression, from tree to tree, tum- 
bling, chattering, and hanging from the extremities of 
the branches, examining about the roots of the leaves, 
buds, and crevices of the bark, for insects and their 
larvae. They also frequently visit the orchards, parti- 
cularly in fall, the sides of the barn and barn-yard, in 
the same pursuit, trees in such situations being gene- 
rally much infested with insects. We, therefore, with 
pleasure, rank this little bird among the farmer’s friends, 
and trust our rural citizens will always recognize him 
as such. 
This species has a very extensive range ; it has been 
found on the western coast of America as far north as 
lat. 62 °; it is common at Hudson’s Bay, and most 
plentiful there during winter, as it then approaches the 
settlements in quest of food. Protected by a remark- 
ably thick covering of long, soft, downy plumage, it 
braves the severest cold of those northern regions. 
The black-capt titmouse is live inches and a half in 
length, and six and a half in extent ; throat, and whole 
upper part of the head and ridge of the neck, black ; 
between these lies a triangular patch of white, ending 
at the nostril ; bill, black and short ; tongue, truncate j 
rest of the upper parts, lead coloured or cinereous, 
slightly tinged with brown ; wings, edged with white ; 
breast, belly, and vent, yellowish white ; legs, light 
blue ; eyes, dark hazel. The male and female are 
nearly alike. 
The upper parts of the head of the young are for 
some time of a dirty brownish tinge ; and in this state 
they agree so exactly with the parus hudsonicus 
described by Latham, as to afford good grounds for 
suspecting them to be the same. 
These birds sometimes fight violently with each 
other, and are known to attack young and sickly birds 
that are incapable of resistance, always directing their 
blows against the skull. Being in the woods one day, 
I followed a bird for some time, the singularity of 
* Hudson Bay Titmouse, Synopsis, ii, 557* 
