Page:Ornithological biography, or an account of the habits of the birds of the United States of America, vol 2.djvu/379

Rh long, slender, slightly incurved, rounded, of twelve narrow, rounded feathers.

Bill black. Iris dark brown. Feet bluish-grey. The whole upper part of the head and the hind neck pure black, as is a large patch on the throat and fore neck. Between these patches of black, thei'e is a band of greyish-white, from the base of the bill down the side of the neck, be- coming broader and greyer behind. Back and wing-coverts ash-grey, tinged with brown. Quills brown, margined with greyish-blue, as is the tail, which is more tinged with grey. Lower parts greyish-white tinged with brown, the sides more deeply tinted.

Length 4j inches, extent of wings 6 ; bill along the ridge /^, along the edge ^^^ ; tarsus ^ ^.

Adult Female. Plate CLX. Fig. 2.

The female is similar to the male, but somewhat fainter in its tints. This species is closely allied to the Parus palustris of Europe, which, however, has the black of the head tinged with brown, and that of the throat not nearly so extensive or decided, and has the lower parts still more tinged with yellowish-brown. It is also closely allied to the Partis atricapillus of Wilson, of which a description is subjoined.

Proportions and plumage as in Parus caroUnensis.

Bill brownish-black. Iris dark brown. Feet bluish-grey. The whole upper part of the head and the hind neck pure black, as is a large patch on the throat and fore neck. Between these patches of black is a band of white, from the base of the bill down the sides of the neck, becoming broader behind and encroaching on the back, which, with the wing-coverts, is ash-grey tinged with brown. Quills brown, margined with bluish-white, the secondary quills so broadly margined as to leave a conspicuous white dash on the wing ; tail of the same colour, similarly edged. Lower parts brownish-white.

Length 5 inches, extent of wings 8 ; bill along the ridge ^%, along the edge H ; tarsus J^.

The two species are almost precisely similar in most respects; but Parus caroUnensis is much smaller than P. atricapillus, the former being