PARINA. 451 
Subfamily PARINZ, or TITS. 
The Tits and their allies are a group of little birds, connected with the 
Turdine through the Accentors, and with the Sylviine through the Gold- 
erests. From both these subfamilies they are distinguished by their 
conical bills with no dental notch. From the former they are further 
distinguished by their scutellated tarsi, and from the latter by their single 
moult. ‘Though they resemble the Laniinz in many points, the deep 
tooth in the bill of the latter is a sufficient mark of distinction. It is a 
much more difficult matter to separate the Tits from the Crows. The 
latter appear to be a distinct group of birds, which, like the Warblers, moult 
in spring as well asin autumn. In other respects the Tits are remarkably 
like miniature Crows. Sharpe attempts to define the two groups by 
supposing that in the latter the chin-angle is produced before the line 
of the nostrils, whilst in the former it only reaches as far as the line of 
the anterior margin of the nasal suture. I confess I am quite unable to 
perceive any constant difference in this respect, and am obliged to take 
refuge in the unscientific character of size, and diagnose the Corvine as 
always bigger than Sparrows and the Parinz as always less. 
The Parinz are almost cosmopolitan. ‘They are found throughout the 
Palearctic, Nearctic, and Oriental Regions, and more sparingly in the 
Neotropical, AAthiopian, and Australian Regions. They number about 
three hundred species and subspecies, of which about thirty are found on 
the continent of Europe. Of these, half have occurred in the British 
Islands, belonging to nine genera, which may be distinguished as follows :— 
a. Bill short, not so long as the tarsus. 
a’. Tail graduated, outside tail-feathers less than half the length of 
the longest. 
a?, Bill yellow, the feathers on the side of the throat elongated 
into a moustache .........+.. COCR CL EIR Ce PANURUS. 
b?. Bill black; no moustachial feathers...........+++eeeeues ACREDULA. 
b'. Tail nearly even. 
ce. Nostrils covered with feathers. 
a’, Bill stout, the height at the nostrils about half the 
TeDGth cect vce e ne cenecasieaceaemsnencens PaRvs. 
b*, Bill slender, the height at the nostrils about one eighth 
MEGUGURGM pieces nde esse ccs e ns weNvr ety tevwsems REGULUS. 
d?, Nostrils bare. 
c’, Bastard primary more than half the length of the 
POOR Gite ex Reker edu veerneeractee meer teas TROGLODYTES, 
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