14 fJARDEX AND AVTARY BIRDS. 



only Tit I have soon in confiiieiiieiit here, several havinjj: 

 heeii hronuht. down to Calcutta of late years. Tt does 

 well as a captiv*'. and Iroiii its l)eautv and active niove- 

 nicnts is a nir(^ pet. P)nt it shoidd not lie trusted with 

 birds no larger than itself, as it has nnirderons procli- 

 vities, like Tits in general — another proof of their 

 relationship to the hlackuuard Crow. Tits in confine- 

 ment shoidd liave liemp-seed and cracked nuts in addition 

 to the usual food of small insectivorous birds. Cocoanut 

 shells sjiould be provided for them to sleep in. and two, 

 even of tlie same species, slionld not l)e put to.uether 

 without Lrreat caution. 



The Txdtax Grey Tit (Panis africeps), called in Ben- 

 gali J^atn-f/rou/ra, is irrey above and dirty white below, 

 the head and breast, with a streak nmninLi down from 

 the latter, are black except foi- the pure white cheeks. 

 Yoimti birds have a stronu' yellow tin.ue throughout the 

 plumauc This bird is a little smaller than a sparrow ; 

 it is th<' most widely-spread of Indian Tits, beinu found 

 nearlv all over India and Burma h, and frecpienting both 

 hills and plains. It ])reeds from ]\larch to June, laying 

 about half-a-dozen ei^^us, pinky-white with red spots, in 

 anv convenient hoh' in a tree, wall, oi' ev<Mi baidc. It 

 has a. verv wnde lanire outside our Emjnre. beiii'i found 

 no]th to Tm-k'estan and south to the Malay Islands. 



THE P.AinU.EBS. 



These form the most numerous urou]) «>f Indian birds 

 and are, of all the smaller fiv. the most interestinu in my 

 opinion, whether at larue or in th«' aviaiy. 



