P A R U S. 
thefe ceafe with incubation. When kept in a cage it is 
really amuling to fee with what quicknefs the titmoufe 
darts at the fly or moth which comes imprudently within 
the circumference of his reach ; if this kind of food be 
deficient, as it generally happens in winter, lie then 
feeds upon feveral kinds of feed, and particularly that of 
the fun-flower, which he dexteroufly holds upright be¬ 
tween his claws, and ftrikes powerfully with his fharp 
little bill, till the black covering fplits, and yields its 
white contents to the hammering bird. 
0 . The crofs-billed titmoufe: olive-brown, beneath 
dirty-yellowifli; head black, temples cinereous; the 
bill forked. This bird was killed once near Feverlham 
in Kent, it had its bill crofled, as in the Loxia cur- 
.viroftra. 
4. Parus ignotus; the Norway titmoufe : yellow- 
green ; breaft yellow, fpotted with rufous; belly blue; 
vent yellowifli. The tail is forked, and of the fame co¬ 
lour as the back ; the two middle feathers greenilh; the 
two outer ones white on the outfide ; legs black; hind 
claw three times as long as the others. Found all over 
Norway. 
5. Parus cyanusj the azure titmoufe : pale blue ; under 
parts white, except an irregular oblong blue mark from 
the breaft to the middle of the belly, and a blue ftripe 
from the bill, through the eyes, to the hind-head, be¬ 
neath which is a pale band ; back and rump pale blue j 
upper tail-coverts deep blue; the ends white ; wings va¬ 
ried with white, lead-colour, and blue; the firft forming 
a band acrofs the wing; quills brown; towards the tip 
white; tail' blue ; the outer edges of the feathers whitilh. 
Legs and claws black ; bill blackilh ; the tongue is bi- 
lobated, and each lobe is fringed with from three to five 
bridles. The total length of this bird is about five in¬ 
ches and a half: it is found throughout Ruffia and Si¬ 
beria, and is frequently met with about the fuburbs of 
St. Peteriburgh. 
6 . Parus Americanus, the creeping titmoufe : bluifli; 
temples, breaft, and back, yellowilh ; Tides purple. The 
upper mandible is brown, the lower yellow; head blue; 
a white fpot over the eye, and another under it; upper 
part of the back yellowifli-green ; the reft of the upper 
parts, and tail, duflcy blue; wing-coverts fpotted with 
white, forming two bands of that colour on the wings ; 
throat and breaft yellow ; on the lower part of the 
neck is a half-collar of. black ; belly white; Tides 
marked with reddilh fpots; quills blackilh, edged with 
bluifli atti-colour; within white ; tail blackilh; the two 
middle feathers cinereous blue ; the others edged with 
the fame ; legs yellowifli. The female is merely black 
and brown. Thefe birds are found chiefly in Carolina, 
where they remain all the winter, and creep up and 
down the bodies of trees in fearch of infers, on which they 
feed ; they are alfo met with in Canada, and in other 
parts of America. Length, five inches. 
7. Parus cseruleus, the blue titmoufe: quill-feathers 
bluilh, the primaries white on the outer edge ; front- 
white ; crown blue. The bill is blackilh ; line from 
the bill to the eyes, and one furrounding the temples, 
black ; the back is of a yellowilh-green ; wing-coverts 
blue; quill-feathers black, with dulky edge; tail blue, 
the middle feathers longer, body whitilh-yellow beneath ; 
legs and claws black. It is about four inches and a half 
long, and weighs lefs than half an ounce. This fpecies 
would, probably, be much admired for its beauty, if it 
were lefs common. In winter it frequents houfes, and 
will devour flelh very greedily; it is alfo a conftant at¬ 
tendant where horfe-flelh is kept for hounds, and in the 
farm-yard, being very fond of oats, which it plucks, out, 
and, retiring to a neighbouring bufli, fixes the grain be¬ 
tween its claws, and hammers it with the bill, to break 
the hulk. In fummer it is very deftru&ive to gardens 
and orchards, by biting off the buds of the bloffoms, in 
fearch of infedts 5 yet, as Albin obferves, is ufeful in 
another manner, by deftroying young caterpillars, and 
723 
the eggs of thofe infefts which deftroy the fruits. The 
female makes her neft in the holes of walls or trees, li¬ 
ning it well with feathers; lays a great number of fmall 
white eggs, at lead fourteen or fifteen, fome fay twenty- 
two 5 but hatches only once a-year, unlefs the firft neft 
is plundered. It forfakes its neft if the eggs are touched, 
or efpecially if one is broken; but, when the young are 
hatched, no bird defends them more courageoufly. She 
menaces every intruder in a Angular manner, hiding like 
a fnake, erefting all her feathers, and uttering a noife like 
the fpitting of a cat, biting, at the fame time, feverely, 
if handled. N 
8. Parus Ssebyenfis, the Sudermanian titmoufe : fize of 
the azure titmoufe, and much refembling it: the general 
caft of the plumage is brilliant blue above, and white 
beneath, with a black fpot undereach of the eyes. This 
beautiful fpecies inhabits the northern parts of Europe. 
It is found in Sudermania; alfo met with in great abun¬ 
dance in the northern woods of Siberia and Ruffia, and 
about Synbirfk, in the government of Cafan. It is mi¬ 
gratory, appearing in winter about the houfes in St. Pe- 
terfburgh. It twitters like a hedge-fparrow, but with a 
fofter and fweeter note. This is omitted by Dr. Turton, 
in his translation of Gmelin’s edition of Linnaeus. 
9. Parus atricapillus, the black-headed titmoufe : ci¬ 
nereous, beneath white; cap and chin black. It inhabits 
Canada, in North America ; is four inches and a half 
long; feeds on worms and infefts, and is very patient 
of cold. 
10. Parus ater, the colemoufe : head black, back cine¬ 
reous ; hind head and breaft white ; the bill and chin are 
black ; a broad black ftripe beneath the eyes, from the 
bill to the neck; belly and vent reddilh-white; wing- 
coverts grey, tipt with white; quill and tail-feathers 
brownilh alii, edged with grey ; leg and claws lead-co¬ 
loured. It does not weigh much more than a quarter of 
an ounce ; and is four inches in length. It has frequently 
been confounded with the next, but is not lo common ; 
it keeps more to the woods, feems to live entirely on in¬ 
fers, and has alfo a different note. It is found through¬ 
out Europe, and fome fay in America; but Vaillant 
affirms that not one of this genus inhabits the new 
world. 
11. Parus paluftris, the marlh-titmoufe: head black, 
back cinereous, temples white. This is fomewhat larger 
than the preceding, and differs but in very few particu¬ 
lars. The crown of the head is black, but no fpot of 
white on the hind head; on the throat a fmall black 
fpot, but not fo large as in the la ft; upper parts of the 
body grey ; wing-coverts plain ; the under parts white; 
legs grey. It is common in England; and is found in 
Sweden, Italy, and moll other parts of Europe: alfo in 
Siberia, Louifiana, and Japan. It lays up ftore of feeds 
againit want, and is fond of low wet ground, in the 
holes of which it frequently nettles. 
There are three varieties, as. Wings without the 
white bands. ( 3 . Body beneath and band on the fund- 
head white, y. Crown black ; nape yellowifli. 
12. Parus Virginianusj the Virginian tit-moufe : rump 
yellow; body cinereous. It inhabits Virginia and Caro¬ 
lina ; and is five inches long. The bill is blackilh, 
body above olive brown, beneath grey ; legs and claws 
brown. , 
13. Parus peregrinus, the crimfon-rumped titmoufe: 
rump fcarlet; body cinereous, beneath white. It is of 
the fize of the P. major. The quill-feathers are brown ; 
tail-feathers black, except the four middle ones, which 
are obliquely yellow on the hind part. This is a rare fpe¬ 
cies, and its native country is unknown. 
14. Parus grifeus, the grey titmoufe: general colour 
grey, crown of the head c rim foil. Native of Green¬ 
land. 
15. Paras Afer, the black-breafted titmoufe : plumage 
above dulky ; fidesof the head, and round the eye, white; 
on each, fide of the neck a ftripe of the fame 5 at the hind 
head. 
