Manchester Memoirs, Vol. I. (1906), No. \V*. 15 



P. aeinodius, but has not such a strongly developed crest, 

 and it is decidedly larger. 



It ranges from Eastern Turkestan to the Tian Shan 

 Mountains. Some specimens in the National collection 

 are apparently from Transcaucasia, but I could not deci- 

 pher the Russian labels. 



When in full plumage, P. nifipechis is easily recognised 

 by its rufous-buff under-surface, the sides of the body 

 being of the same colour as the breast : the wing-spots 

 are also tinged with fawn-colour, and are not pure white 

 as in P. ater. The back is dark blue-grey, and the fulvous 

 shade on the rump is not particularly pronounced. 



Parus britannicus. 



Patus brifannicus, Sharpe and Dresser, Ann. and Mag. Nat. 



Hist., {4), vol. S, p. 437 (1871); Dresser, "Man. Pal. 



Birds," vol. i, p. 165 (1902). 

 Parus ater britan7iicus, Prazak, MT. Orn. Ver. IVien, vol. 18. 



p. 141 (1894); Hartert, "Vog. Pal. Fauna," part 3, p. 357 



(1905)- 

 Parus (Periparus) ater btitannicus, Hellmayr, "Tierreich, 



Paridae," p. 77 (1902). 

 Periparus britannicus, Bianchi, t.c, p. 245 ; Sharpe, " Handl. B.," 



vol. 4, p. 325 (1903). 



Similar to P. ater, and with white spots on the median 

 and greater coverts, but having the back olive-brown, in- 

 stead of blue-grey ; only the throat black ; sides of the 

 body very clear rusty-yellow : bill decidedly more slender. 



Hab. British Islands. 



Parus britannicus, when a series is compared, need 

 never be confounded with true P. ater, for the difference 

 in colour of the back is very perceptible. Freshly moulted 

 birds in August and September are strongly olivaceous 

 on the back, which in P. ater is clear blue-grey at that 



