6 Nicholson, Palcearctic Species of Coal- Tits. 



tinge of buff below, of much the same shade as in P. 

 pekinensis and P. insularis, and from this I consider that 

 P. rufipectiis is more closely allied to P. pekinensis, both 

 as regards colour and development of crest. The Thian 

 Shan example is, in fact, a large edition of P. pekinensis. 

 There are also examples from Transcaspia in the British 

 Museum, some of them as pale below as the Thian Shan 

 bird, while others are as cinnamon as P. aemodius. 



P. ater of Europe appears to me to be the lightest in 

 colour of all the pale-breasted group of which it is the 

 type. It certainly has a whiter breast than most of the 

 others. 



P. pekinensis is, according to Mr. Hellmayr, an 

 inhabitant of Southern Siberia, east of the Yenesei River 

 and North China. Its distinguishing character is its very 

 evident top-knot of long feathers. This feature is certainly 

 developed in specimens from the far East to a greater 

 extent than in typical P. ater, but the latter species is 

 by no means devoid of a crest. Some examples of P. 

 pekinensis, however, have nearly as long a crest as in 

 P. aemodius, and it seems to me that the white spots on 

 the wing-coverts are more conspicuous than in P. ater. 



Of P . pekinensis I have examined several specimens 

 in the British Museum. One from the Ussuri River (Lat. 

 48° N. : Dybowski) has quite long crest-feathers, and has 

 a warm ochraceous-buff tint on the sides of the body, the 

 lower back and rump being also washed with a light shade 

 of ochraceous-buff. I have also examined, in the British 

 Museum, one of the typical specimens given to the late 

 Robert Swinhoe by Abbe David, and bequeathed to 

 the Museum by Mr. Seebohm. It is from Pekin, and is 

 a somewhat remarkable bird, not only on account of the 

 tuft of long feathers on the crown, but from its rufescent 

 under surface, wherein the breast and flanks are of a 



