188 Mr. H. F. Witlierby on 



late years by Messrs. Whitaker, Koenig, and others. Except 

 that it inhabits desert instead of hilly country, its habits 

 seem remarkably like those of its darker eastern repre- 

 sentative (S. inquieta), which I met with in Persia. 



Parus major (L.). 



Pants major excelsus Brehm ; Hartert, Nov. Zool. vol. ix. 

 p. 328. 



<J ad., S ad., $ ad. H. R'Hira, April 17, 20, & 23. 



S ad. Les Glacieres, May 10. 



Great Tits vary considerably inter se, and I cannot find 

 any sufficiently constant differences in the Algerian breeding- 

 bird to warrant its separation. It is sometimes of a brighter 

 yellow on the under parts than typical Parus major, but even 

 my four specimens vary greatly. One of them is pale and 

 greyish on the breast, almost like Parus aphrodite Madarasz, 

 which, as originally described, was no doubt an individual 

 variation. 



The white mark on the inner web of the outer tail-feather 

 is also a variable character, but it tends to become constant 

 in the Algerian bird, in which it is usually, but by no means 

 always, noticeable as a small spot rather than a long streak. 

 In measurements the Algerian Great Tit ecmals typical 

 Parus major. 



The Great Tit was common and breeding at H. K'llira 

 and in the Little Atlas. Its note seemed to me of a much 

 deeper pitch than that of our English Great Tit. 



Parus ater ledouci. 



c? ad., S ad., S ad., S ad. H. R'Hira, April 14, 17, &20. 

 ? ad. H. R'Hira, April 15. 



There is considerable variation in the yellow of these 

 specimens (compare Dixon, 'Ibis/ 1882, p. 571). In 

 some the under side, checks, and ear-coverts are of such a 

 pale yellow as to make the bird resemble in general colour 

 typical P. ater. Both P. ater atlas Meade-Waldo and P. ater 

 ledouci are evidently geographical forms of Parus ater. 



The Algerian Coal Tit was a very common breeding-bird 

 in the pine-forest at H. R'Hira and in the cedar-forest on 



