Colors. Male. Crest, black; body, wings and tail above, cinereous; darker on the latter, and with an olivacious tinge on the back. Front and inferior surface of the body, ashy white; flanks, ferruginous. Shafts of primaries, reddish at their bases; those of the tail feathers white beneath; bill and legs black. Young male with the crest cinereous, shaded with light brown. Female. Similar to the male, but slightly smaller, and with the crest cinereous. Hab. Texas. Spec. in Mus. Acad. Philada. Obs. This species is of the same general form and color as _Lophophanes bicolor_, (Linn.,) and _Lophophanes inornatus_. (Gambel.) It is about the size of the former, and larger than the latter, and may be readily distinguished from either of those or from any other species known to me, by its black crest. Having access to specimens of all the known North American species of this family, in the collection of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, we beg the liberty of laying before our readers a synopsis of these birds, with short descriptions, and of availing ourselves also of the present occasion to express our grateful acknowledgments for the facilities and privileges generously allowed us by the gentlemen of the Academy. SYNOPSIS OF THE NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES OF THE SUB-FAMILY PARINÆ. I. GENUS PARUS. Linnæus. Syst. Nat. I. p. 340. (1766.) Not crested, bill short, rather strong, conic, entire, nostrils at the base of the bill and concealed by projecting feathers. Wings moderate, with the first quill spurious, fourth and fifth usually longest and nearly equal, tail rather long, legs and feet rather robust, claws curved and sharp. Colors usually cinereous and black. This genus originally included all the birds now usually regarded as constituting a family of many genera, species of which inhabit nearly all the countries of the world. As restricted, it appears properly to embrace numerous species without crests found in Asia, Europe, and America; nearly all of which have the upper part of the head and throat black. A further division has however been made by Professor Kaup, of Darmstadt; and all the American, with some European and Asiatic non-crested species, form his genus _Pœcila_. The American species are as follows: 1. Parus atricapillus. Linn. Syst. Nat. I. p. 341 (1766). The black-capped Chickadee. Length (of skin) about 5 inches. Head and neck above and large space on the throat black, cheeks and sides of the neck white, entire plumage of the body above cinereous, slightly tinged with brownish olive, below ashy white tinged with brownish. Bill and feet dark. Sexes alike. Hab. Northern and Middle States of North America. Spec. in Mus. Acad. Philada. 2. Parus carolinensis. Audubon Orn. Biog. II. p. 341, (1834.) The Carolina Chickadee.