570 Mr. C. Dixon on the 



oak woods ; but it was not common. In the cedar-range west 

 of Batna, however, we found the trees literally alive with 

 them. Although the habits and movements of all the Tit- 

 mice are so much alike, still, to the careful observer, each 

 species has its own peculiarities. The Algerian Coal Titmouse 

 is no exception. Like all the Titmice, the present species is 

 found in company with its congeners, and also with Firecrests 

 and Willow-Warblers. Unlike any other Titmouse with 

 which I am acquainted, I saw it repeatedly perched on the 

 rocks. Its note is a peculiar one, something between the 

 loud bell-like notes of the Great Titmouse and the well- 

 known call of the Coal Titmouse. They were busy amongst 

 the cedars and the pine trees, flitting from tree to tree, now 

 pausing a moment, hanging head downwards from a slender 

 spray, then hiding themselves from view in the thickest 

 foliage, where the trembling of a leaf or twig was the only 

 sign of their presence. They were far from shy, indeed 

 as trustful as Firecrests ; and the greatest difficulty was to 

 get a sufficient distance from them to avoid knocking them 

 about too much with the shot. It is a mistake, however, to 

 suppose that this bird is found " only in pine forests/^ West 

 of Batna the evergreen-oak woods lower down the moun- 

 tains are equally favoured with their presence, and, although 

 not so abundantly, the forests at Lambessa, too. The Great 

 Titniouse and the present species appear to be fast friends, and 

 together explore the twigs and branches in such close com- 

 panionship as to enable me, at Lambessa, to bring down an 

 example of each species at one discharge. The food of the 

 Algerian Coal Titmouse we found to be small seeds and in- 

 sects ; and I shot one specimen with a small green caterpillar 

 in its beak. Although most of the dozen specimens we 

 brought back with us were obtained on the 10th or 11th of 

 May, the birds were only just commencing to build, and the 

 ovaries of the females were very small. Pressed as we were 

 for time, it was impossible to find their nests, which were 

 probably in numbers near us in the holes with which the 

 timber here is so full. 



The sexes of this bird are precisely alike; but the yellow 



