AEGITHALUS.
Bill short and thick ; tail long, graduated ; plumage very soft ; sexes much alike; habits as in "Parus"; nest oval, entrance on side near top, in bush or against trunk of tree ; eggs white, faintly dotted red.
Aegithalus caudatus caudatus (L.). LONG-TAILED TIT. Fr. Isil6sange it longue queue ; Ger. Schwanzmeise ; /1(1/. Codi bugnolo ; Swed Stjartmes.
e 9 Head white, hind neck, middle line of back and upper tail coverts black ; scapulars and rump rosy ; secondaries white on outer web ; beneath pure white, tinged rose on flanks and under tail coverts. Bill, legs and feet black. Wing 6 62-68, 62-67. Tail 88-100. Tarsus 16-18. Bill 4-5. Young : above dark brown, centre of crown white; beneath dull white, vinous on abdomen and flanks.
to near Arctic Circle, N. and C. Russia south to Ufa and Orenburg, E. and C. Germany, and N. Siberia. Chiefly resident ; occurs in winter to Rumania and Caucasus, rarer in Belgium and France. Casual in Britain.
A. caudatus europa3us (Hermann). White confined to centre of crown and spotted with brown ; on each side more or less developed black stripe ; across upper breast a row of brown spots (varying in intensity). Wing 6o-67.
Belgium, and France, through W. Germany, Switzerland, N. Italy, Bosnia, and Serbia to Rumania and Bulgaria.
A. caudatus roseus (Blyth). Centre of crown dull white much mixed with black ; lateral stripes black and broader, but not reaching the bill ; beneath dull white with row of dark spots more developed ; ear coverts with dark streaks ; smaller. Wing d' 5S-63, '? 56-61. Tail j 80-90, ? 72-87.
R esident. —British Isles, W. France.
A. caudatus taiti Ingram. Resembles "A. c. irbii" in having practically no rosy feathers on shoulders, but mantle very much blacker, only a few slaty feathers apparent on back ; sides of face and pectoral band very distinctly streaked with sooty blackish. Wing 59-60. Tail 76-83. Is much nearer "roseus" than "irbii." and N. Spain to Pyrenees.
A. caudatus irbii (Sharpe and Dresser). Back grey ; mantle with a few black feathers ; shoulder feathers faintly vinous ; centre of crown blackish. Wing 55-58. Tail 72-80.
and S. Spain.
A. caudatus italic Jourdain. Distinguished from "irbii" by pale vinous colour of shoulders and foreback has more or less black.
Resident. —I taly.
A. caudatus tyrrhenicus Parrot. Nearest to "irbii" but back darker grey streaked with black ; white on crown narrow, lateral stripes very broad ; upper tail coverts and abdomen only vinous.
Resident. —Corsica.
A. caudatus siculus (Whitaker). Forehead and crown light brown, whitish median stripe ill defined ; entire back and rump grey, throat and upper breast white with a few dark feathers ; lower breast and abdomen whitish tinged pale brown ; flanks and under tail coverts vinous rose. Wing 57, ? 55. Tail 73.
Resident.—S icily.
A. caudatus macedonicus (Salvadori and Dresser). Upper parts like "roseus" but black stripes on sides of head broader and reach to base of bill ; lores black ; throat with a dark patch as in "alpinus" ; ring round eye orange red.
Resident—Greece, S. Macedonia.
A. caudatus tauricus (Menzbicr). Resembles "europxus" in having crown pure white in centre with little or no admixture of black and "roseus" in great amount of black on back and less vinous on scapulars ; lateral crown stripes extend in front of eye but not so far as bill.
Resident.—Mountains of Crimea.
A. caudatus major (Radde). Like "siculus " but larger, forehead pale brown and sides of head brown ; back grey as in "irbii." Wing 60-63 (H.).
Resident—N. Caucasus.
A. caudatus alpinus (Hablizl) (tephronotus acct.). Allied to "irbii" but has an iron grey patch on throat, pale parts of head and throat brownish buff, underparts darker and more buff, ring round cyc orange. \Ving 58-6t•5 (IL).
Resident.—Turkey (Constantinople district) and east through Asia Minor to Persia.