Part 239

593. PARDALIPARUS ALBESCENS McGregor.

WHITE-BACKED TITMOUSE.

Parus elegans Gadow, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1883), 8, 22 (part); McGregor, Bull. Philippine Mus. (1903), 1, 11. Pardaliparus elegans Sharpe, Hand-List (1903), 4, 328 (part); McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 94 (part). Pardaliparus albescens McGregor, Phil. Jour. Sci. (1907), 2, sec. A, 293.

Masbate (McGregor); Ticao (McGregor).

Specific characters.--Similar to P. elegans Lesson, but with little or no olive-green on upper parts, and the white on scapulars and back much more extensive, to a large extent replacing the black. Male (type), wing, 63; tail, 38; culmen from base, 11; bill from nostril, 8; tarsus, 17.

594. PARDALIPARUS EDITHÆ McGregor.

EDITH'S TITMOUSE.

Pardaliparus elegans McGregor, Bull. Philippine Mus. (1904), 4, 27; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 94 (part). Pardaliparus edithæ McGregor, Phil. Jour. Sci. (1907), 2, sec. A, 294.

Calayan (McGregor); Camiguin N. (McGregor).

Male.--Top of head, sides of neck and mantle glossy blue-black; an irregular white patch in center of nape; a number of large white spots on mantle; back and rump gray, washed with olivaceous; upper tail-coverts glossy black; chin, throat, and fore breast dead black, forming a large triangular patch, bounded above by a broad band of white, slightly washed with yellow, which extends under eye across ear-coverts onto side of neck; rest of lower parts pale lemon-yellow, washed with olivaceous on sides of neck and abdomen and on flanks; wings glossy black; primaries narrowly edged with gray on their outer webs and with white on the inner; greater and median coverts with white spots at tips (much smaller than in P. elegans and not forming bands as in that species); secondaries tipped with white; tail black with white markings as in P. elegans, but the white tips much smaller and white on outer webs of two outer pairs of rectrices. Bill black except basal third which is horn-blue; legs dull blue; nails horn-brown. Length, 122; wing, 67; tail, 43; culmen from base, 12; bill from nostril, 10; tarsus, 18; middle toe with claw, 17.

Female.--Similar to the male, but somewhat duller and upper parts more olive-green. Wing, 63; tail, 38; culmen from base, 12; bill from nostril, 9; tarsus, 18.

595. PARDALIPARUS MINDANENSIS (Mearns).

MINDANAO TITMOUSE.

Pardaliparus elegans mindanensis Mearns, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. (1905), 18, 8. Pardaliparus mindanensis McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 94.

Kah-too-reé-nay, Bagobo of Mount Apo.

Mindanao (Mearns, Clemens).

Adult male.--"Similar to Pardaliparus elegans elegans, but smaller with a relatively smaller bill; coloration heavier and yellower, the black of chin and throat extending to the chest; whitish spots of upper wing-coverts and tail-feathers washed with yellow. Length, 117; alar expanse, 210; wing, 67; tail, 41; culmen, 9.5; tarsus, 16; middle toe with claw, 15." (Mearns.)

The Mindanao titmouse differs from the species found in more northern localities in the characters given by Mearns. A male from Lake Lanao measures: Wing, 63; tail, 37; culmen from base, 10; bill from nostril, 8; tarsus, 15. A female, wing, 62; tail, 36; culmen from base, 10; bill from nostril, 8; tarsus, 15.

596. PARDALIPARUS AMABILIS (Sharpe).

PALAWAN TITMOUSE.

Parus amabilis Sharpe, Trans. Linn. Soc. 2d. ser. Zool. (1877), 1, 338, pl. 5, fig. 2; Gadow, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1883), 8, 22. Pardaliparus amabilis Sharpe, Hand-List (1903), 4, 327; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 93.

Balabac (Steere, Everett); Palawan (Whitehead, Platen, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Celestino, White).

Adult male.--Entire head, neck, chin, throat, and chest glossy blue-black; neck bordered behind by a mantle of clear canary-yellow; back and rump lavender-gray; tail-coverts black; breast and remainder of under parts bright lemon-yellow; wings and tail black; greater and median coverts and primary-coverts broadly tipped with white; primaries with small white tips or marks on outer webs; secondaries with wider white tips and pale gray edges; inner webs of quills edged with white; rectrices broadly tipped with white and all but the center pair with outer webs white, but this much reduced in pair next the center pair. Wing, 72; tail, 46; culmen from base, 10.5; bill from nostril, 7; tarsus, 16.

Adult female.--Black of head and throat much duller than in the male; yellow of the mantle reduced to a narrow band; remainder of the back olive-green, somewhat mixed with lavender-gray on rump; white marks on wings and tail much smaller than in the male. Wing, 70; tail, 44; culmen from base, 10.5; bill from nostril, 7; tarsus, 16.

"Young.--Very different from the adult. It is brown above with an olive-greenish tinge, the head and face browner. Below it is yellow, duller than in the adult, the throat olive; wings and tail browner than in the adult, with the same white spotting, but not so pronounced." (Sharpe.)

Genus PENTHORNIS Hellmayr, 1901.

The genus Penthornis is distinguished from Pardaliparus by its nearly uniform black plumage and white frontal band.

Species.