PARID^. ■ 79 



Great Namaqua Land ; this is also the case with speci- 

 mens from the western parts of the Colony. 



98. Anthoscopus minutus (Shaw). Dwarf Blossom-pecker. 

 Le Becque-Jleur, Levaillant's Ois. d'Afr. pi, 134. 

 jEgithalus Smithi, Strickland & Sclater, Contr. Orn. 1852, p. 149. 

 Paroides capensis, Layard's Cat. No. 212. 

 Anthoscopus minutus, Gray's Hand-list of Birds, No. 3417. 

 AEgithalus capensis, Sharpe's Cat. No. 331. 



This diminutive species is sparingly found from the 

 Okavango River to the neighbourhood of Cape Town, 

 following the line of the coast and occurring in small 

 flocks amongst brushwood, low trees, or flowers ; in such 

 situations it hunts with great assiduity for minute in- 

 sects, in which occupation it strongly reminded me of 

 some of the titmice, which it much resembles in its mode 

 of climbing and feeding. It utters a low and almost in- 

 audible chirp or whistle. 



I once found, in Ondonga, on March 27th, a nest 

 of this species containing one young bird and one egg^ 

 the latter being of so extraordinary a size that, had I 

 not shot the old bird at the nest, and had not the iden- 

 tity of the eg^ been corroborated by the young bird, I 

 should not have believed that it belonged to this species. 

 The nest had been rudely displaced from its original site 

 and was hanging down several inches, very much the 

 worse for its misfortune ; I only wonder the birds stuck 

 so bravely to it. The rim of the nest was composed 

 of very fine twigs of small tender bushes interlaced with 

 decomposed silky grasses ; the rest of the nest was chiefly 

 of the latter material, but lined within with fine tendrils. 



