observed which do not possess these stripes*. Such examples
certainly may have heen visitors from abroad; but it would
seem as though in Scandinavia the amount of white in the
plumage generally varies somewhat according to the latitude
at which the bird lives, and that specimens from its extreme
northern limits are perceptibly whiter than those bred further
south. Accordingly, if this be the case in examples from one
continuous tract, it would appear only reasonable that still
greater variation should be observed in examples from a
country which has been cut off from that tract so long as
Britain has been separated from the continent. Should,
therefore, further research shew that in northern examples of
the Scandinavian Long-tailed Titmouse the white of the head
encroaches more on the nape or even the mantle, and that of
the scapulars and flight-feathers is more extensive than in
southern examples, it would be pretty clear that the greater
or less proportion of white which any bird of this genus
possesses is hardly to be taken as a specific character, even
when it is reduced to the small limits presented in ordinary
British examples. Again, the Long-tailed Titmouse of Spain
has lately been described as a distinct species, and no one
looking only at the type-specimen, which has been kindly
entrusted to the Editor by Mr. Dresser, would hesitate to
declare that its separation Avas justifiable; but that gentleman
and Mr. Sharpe in their excellent work state that it is
difficult to tell whether some Piedmontese examples are identical
-Avitli the British or the Spanish form. Thus the matter
must be left to the consideration of ornithologists. Those
who, like the authorities just named, would recognize as valid
four European species of the genus A crcdvla, should call the
British bird A. vagans (this specific name of Leach’s taking
* Mr. Blvtli (Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, i. p. 203) mentions one “ in which the
black markings on the head were nearly obsolete.” Mr. Hancock’s collection
contains an example killed in Northumberland with a pure white head, and there
is a similar specimen in the Museum of Newcastle-on-Tyne, supposed to have
been obtained in th a t neighbourhood. Mr. Gatcombe also records (Zool. s. s.
p. 2943) his having observed in a flock near Bridgwater in October, 1871, an
example with a white head.
precedence of Mr. Blyth’s rosea) ; the white-headed bird of
northern and central Europe and northern Asia, but sometimes
possibly straying to England, A. caudata; the small
grey-backed bird of south-western and southern Europe
A. irb ii; and the larger grey-backed bird of Turkey A . tepliro-
nota—this last being to all appearance a very good species.
Besides these there belong to this group, A. pceltzami, made
known in the present year by Dr. Severzov in his work on
the ornithology of Turkestan, A. vinacea and A. fuliginosa
from Thibet, A. glaucogularis and A. ouratensis of China
(Avith the former of which A. swinhoii from the same country
may be identical), and A. trivirgata of Japan, much resembling
and formerly identified Avith our British form.
T h e b i l l i s b l a c k : t h e i r i d e s h a z e l : t h e e y e l i d s b r i g h t
o r a n g e - r e d * : t h e f r o n t a n d c r o w n o f t h e h e a d , t h e c h e e k s a n d
e a r - c o v e r t s a r e A v liite , t h e l a s t b e i n g s t r e a k e d w i t h b l a c k ; a d u l l
b l a c k s t r i p e , v a r i a b l e i n A v id th , a n d s o m e t im e s e n t i r e l y A v a n t -
i n g , t a k e s i t s r i s e o n e i t h e r s i d e o n t h e l o r e , a n d , p a s s i n g
b a c k w a r d o v e r t h e e y e , s u r r o u n d s t l ; e h e a d , s p r e a d i n g o u t o n
t h e n a p e a n d u p p e r p a r t o f t h e b a c k i n t o a t r i a n g u l a r b l a c k
p a t c h ; t h e s c a p u l a r s a n d l o w e r p a r t o f t h e b a c k a r e o f a d u l l
r o s e - r e d ; p r im a r i e s a n d t h e i r c o v e r t s b l a c k ; t h e s e c o n d a r i e s
a n d t e r t i a l s d u l l b l a c k , b r o a d l y e d g e d A v itli w h i t e , t h e i r
c o v e r t s b e i n g e d g e d A v ith d u l l r o s e - r e d a n d t i p p e d w i t h A v l i it e ;
u p p e r t a i l - c o v e r t s b l a c k ; t h e t h r e e m i d d l e p a i r s o f t a i l -
f e a t h e r s b l a c k ; t h e n e x t p a i r b l a c k o n t h e b a s a l a n d g r e a t e r
p a r t o f t h e i n n e r w e b , w i t h a s m a l l t r i a n g u l a r b l a c k s p o t a t
t h e t i p , b u t t h e r e s t o f t h e f e a t h e r A v l i i t e ; t h e tw o o u t e r
p a i r s A v ith s t i l l l e s s o f b l a c k , a n d o n t h e i n n e r w e b o n l y , t h e
r e s t b e i n g A v h i t e ; t h e c h i n , t h r o a t , l o w e r w i n g - c o v e r t s a n d
s i d e s o f t h e n e c k A v h i t e , t h e l a s t m o t t l e d w i t h b l a c k s t r e a k s
a n d t i n g e d A v itli d u l l r e d ; t h e b r e a s t d u l l A v liite A v ith a feAv
b l a c k s t r e a k s ; b e l l y g r e y i s h - w h i t e , t i n g e d o n t h e s i d e s w i t h
d u l l r e d , w h i c h b e c o m e s d e e p e r o n t h e f l a n k s a n d p a s s e s , o n
t h e v e n t a n d loA v e r t a i l - c o v e r t s , t o d u l l c h e s t n u t - b r o w n : l e g s ,
t o e s a n d c l a w s , d a r k b r o w n i s h - b l a c k .
* According to Messrs. Alston and Harvie Brown Scandinavian birds have the
eyelids yellow, but the colour of these parts seems to vary with age.