3:^2 Mr. G. Despott on the [Ibis, 



of flight, which my friei)d said is very similar to that of 

 the Hoopoe, and tal yebel is practically the equivalent of the 

 Latin muraria. 



73. (57) Parus major major L. The Continental Tit- 

 mouse. 



Local name : Fiorentin. 



This is only an accidental visitor during the autumn ; at 

 least the seven specimens which I have seen taken in Malta 

 all occurred during that season. No mention is made by 

 Schembri of this species, but I have seen a specimen in his 

 collection labelled November 1843. Wright records two 

 specimens, one taken in 1866 (no date, however, or locality 

 is given), the other was captured at the Pieta on the 8th 

 of October, 1871. I have three specimens in my collec- 

 tion ; the first I bought from Giulio Mallia in October 1908, 

 another was brought to me from Zurrico on the 10th of 

 October, 1909, and a third I bought from a dealer, nick- 

 named Ferraru, on the 21st of October, 1911. There is a 

 specimen in the University Museum — this, however, bears 

 neither locality nor date. Besides the above-mentioned, 

 I know two or three other specimens in private col- 

 lections. 



74. (58) Parus cseruleus cseruleus L. The Continental Blue 

 Titmouse. 



Local name : Primavera. 



In my list of the birds of Malta of 1915 I stated that 

 the species has been only once recorded in Malta, and I 

 alluded to the specimen in our museum, which was taken 

 at Zurrico and purchased by the curator, iMr. C. Leach. 

 Since the publication of the list, however, I found out 

 that the late Prof. C Gulia, in his ' llepertorio di Storia 

 Naturale,' says that these Tits sometimes arrive in Gozo in 

 great abundance, and that a few individuals have been known 

 to occur in Malta too. Wright mentions this statement in 

 the third appendix to his list of the birds of Malta, saying 

 that Gulia is evidently mistaken. To-day also. Prof. Gulia^s 

 statement sounds incredible, as the birds are undoubtedly 



