90 PARID.^. 



Description. Forehead, lores, a broad supercilium, a nape- 

 patch, sidfs of the head and neck bright yellow ; crown, crest, a 

 patch on either side the nape, chin, throat and a broad mesial line 

 down to the vent black ; the longer feathers of the crest tipped 

 with yellow ; sides of the breast yellow ; remainder of the lower 

 plumage olive-yellow, purer next the black band ; under tail- 

 coverts mixed grey and white ; under wing-coverts and axillaries 

 yellowish white ; back and scapulars yellow, each feather laterally 

 margined with yellow ; rump yellowish green ; upper tail-coverts 

 dark bluish grey; tail black, broadly edged with bluish grey and 

 tipped with white, the outer web of the outermost feather entirely 

 white; lesser wing-coverts black, tipped with bluish grey; median 

 and greater coverts and inner secondaries black v\ ith broad white 

 tips ; primaries white at base, the outer ones edged with white, 

 the others and the outer secondaries edged ^^■ith bluish grey and 

 the latter narrowly tipped white. 



Colours of soft parts, Irides brown or red-brown ; legs and 

 feet bluish plumbeous or dark blue-slate; bill black. 



Measurements. Length about 140 mm.; wing 72 to 78 mm. ; 

 tail about 58 mm. ; tarsus about 22 mm.; culmen about 10 to 

 11 mm. 



The young have no black margins to the feathers of the back 

 and the throat, breast and ventral band are tinged with green. 



Distribution. Nepal to Miri Hills north of the Brahmaputra 

 hills south of Brahmaputra to Looshai and Lakliimpur and 

 •? Cliin Hills. 



Nidification. Breeds very commonly in the Ivhasia Hills in 

 April, May and June, a few birds nesting both earlier and later. 

 The eggs are laid in holes of trees, stone walls and, very rarely, 

 banks. The nest is a pad of moss, grass and bits of braclcen 

 mixed with fur, wool or hair and with a layer entirely composed 

 of the three latter on the top. The eggs number from four to six 

 and are white boldly spotted, blotched and speckled with light 

 reddish brown with a few underlying of pale neutral tint or grey. 



The average of 100 eggs is i7'(J X 14-1 mm. Like most Tits 

 these birds are very close and fearless sitters, often allowing 

 themselves to be caught on the nest rather than leave their eggs 

 or young. 



Ha"bits. North of the Brahmaputra this fine Tit is confined 

 to eleA'ations of 5,000 feet upwards but in the Khasia Hills, 

 Manipur, etc., it is common at 4,000 feet and descends in winter 

 even lower. It may be found either in small parties of half-a- 

 dozen or so, or in pairs. It is a bold familiar bird entering 

 compounds freely and with little fear of watchers. Less restless 

 than the (xrey-Tits it is still an active, energetic bird and A^hen 

 hunting for insects assumes the same curious attitudes. It is a 

 much stronger flier than the Grey-Tits and keeps more exclusively 

 to the higher trees but I have seen it hunting low down in 

 Mimosa trees when they are in flower. 



