158 DENIZENS OF THE FOREST 



They frequent bushy country, living on the juices of 

 flowers, insects and fruit. The first-named bird is 1 grass 

 green above, whereas the latter is olive-green. In addition 

 the Green White-eye is yellow underneath, while the " Cape >r 

 bird is light brown, only the throat and under tail coverts 

 being yellow. They are immediately recognisable by the 

 white ring round the eye, which has given them their trivial 

 English name " White-eye " and the Dutch " Kersoogie." 



In the Central Transvaal we found them especially fond 

 of the nectar of the ordinary eucalyptus flowers, and very 

 destructive to ripe apricots and figs. 



They build a small cup-shaped nest of fine material and 

 moss cemented together with cobweb, &c, and finely lined 

 with hair ; they lay four or five pale blue eggs. 



TITS 



The Tits (Paridce) are represented by six kinds, one of 

 which is, however, only a sub-species. 



The Black-breasted Tit (Parus afer) ranges through the 

 South-western and ( !ent ral portions of Cape Province, and has 

 the crown, throat, cheeks and centre of breast black, the 

 back brownish, and the under parts pale fawn ; it is re- 

 placed north of the Orange Eiver by the Grey Tit (P. cinera- 

 scens), which differs from the preceding species in being grey 

 both above and below. 



The Black Tit (P. niger) is black all over except certain 

 wing feathers, &c, which are tipped with white. It is found 

 from the Eastern Cape Province northwards to Mashonaland, 

 and thence westward to Ngami, Damaraland and Benguela. 



The Black Tit is a noisy little fellow, whose call is a deep 

 churr-churr-churr. Its food is exclusively of an insectivorous 

 nature. Jt nests in small ho!<>s in trees, the nest being 

 composed <>\ ;i few feathers, Kits of moss, and cast snake 

 sloughs. This bird is a favourite host of the Honey-guides. 



