Io6 COAL-TITMOUSE. 



that it seldom visits Heligoland. I have therefore treated these 

 forms as climatic races. 



The Coal-Tit is a resident species in England, Wales and Ireland, 

 and appears to have increased during the present century ; although 

 it is still, as a rule, less numerous than the Great and Blue Tits. In 

 Scotland, on the contrary, it is the commonest of the family in the 

 north, and is fairly distributed, except in the Outer Hebrides, 

 Orkneys and Shetlands. On the Continent the greyer-backed race 

 is found in summer as far north as lat. 65°, a partial migration taking 

 place in winter ; but in the central and southern portions of Europe 

 the bird is generally distributed as a resident. In Algeria the 

 representative is P. ledouxi, with yellow cheeks, nuchal spot and 

 under parts — much like the young of our bird. In the mountains 

 of Cyprus Dr. Guillemard obtained a form described by ]\Ir. Dresser 

 as F. Cypriotes (Ibis 1888) ; distinguished by a tint on the back even 

 browner than in British specimens, a nearly obsolete nuchal patch, 

 and a greater amount of black on the throat. In the Caucasus 

 occurs a larger form, P. michaloivskii, intermediate in tint between 

 that of our islands and the typical race of the Continent ; and under 

 various other names, according as the bird increases in brightness of 

 colour and length of crest, the Coal-Tit is found across Asia to 

 Kamchatka, China and Japan. 



The nest, commenced in iNIarch or April, is placed in a hole in 

 a tree, a crevice in a wall, a mouse's, mole's or rabbit's burrow 

 in a bank or the level ground, foundations of crows' nests, &c. ; 

 while Bond found one on the branch of a fir-tree, close to the bole. 

 Moss and wool, rabbits' fur, or deer's hair and feathers, are the 

 materials ; the 7-1 1 eggs being white, spotted with light red : 

 measurements "6 by, '45 in. The note is decidedly more shrill than 

 that of its congeners. The young are fed largely upon green cater- 

 pillars, but besides these, insects, nuts and seeds are eaten. 



Adult male : crown, nape, throat, and upper breast glossy blue- 

 black, with a large white nuchal spot ; cheeks and sides of the neck 

 white ; back grey, tinged with olive in most British specimens ; rump 

 brownish-fawn ; quills ash-brown, with dull white margins to the 

 secondaries ; wing-coverts with white tips, which form two bars ; tail 

 ash-brown ; breast dull white, passing into fawn on the belly and 

 fianks ; bill, legs and feet dark horn-colour. Length 4*25 in. ; wing 

 2 "4 in. Female: slightly duller in colour. Young: no gloss on 

 the head ; cheeks, nape-spot and under parts suffused with sulphur- 

 yellow ; upper feathers tinged with olive. The white patch on the 

 nape readily distinguishes the Coal-Tit from the Marsh-Tit. 



