PARUS LEUCOMELAS. 229 



Parus niger (nee Vieill), Gadow, Cat. B. M. viii. p. 7, pt. A (1883) ; 

 Reicheu. J. f. 0. 1887, pp. 301, 306 Congo; Shelley, P. Z. S. 1888, 

 p. 29 Eiri; Gigl. Ann. Mus. Genov. 1888, p. 41 Shoa ; Hartert in 

 Ansorge's "Under Afr. Sun," p. 352 Unyoro ; id. Nov. Zool. vii. 

 p. 51 (1900) Karimia. 



Adult. General plumage jet black with a bluish gloss ; most of the 

 median and greater wing-coverts white, forming a large uniform white 

 patch ; quills and primary-coverts partially edged with white, under surface 

 of quills dusky ash with their inner edges white ; under wing-coverts 

 white. "Bill and feet black; iris straw colour" (Jackson). Total length 

 5-6 inches, culmen 0'45, wing 3-15, tail 2-8, tarsus 0-75. Anseba B. £ , 

 17. 7. 68 (Blanford). 



Small race. Total length 5-1 inches, culmen 0-15, wing 3-0, tail 2'7, 

 tarsus 0-7. Volta B. (Ussher). 



The Northern Black Tit ranges southward from 16° N. lat., 

 over North Tropical Africa generally, and through the Congo 

 district into Angola. 



In the northern portion of the range of this species the 

 specimens are generally small, and there appears to be a con- 

 stant dwarfed race confined to West Africa, from Senegambia 

 to the Niger. This race I have called in my key P. lemomelas 

 guineensis ; the only character I can find for it is its smaller 

 size — wing 3"0 to 3*1 inches, tarsus 0'7. 



Swainson, who first recorded the species from Senegal, 

 believed it not to be distinct from its South African ally, and 

 only proposed the name of Parus leucojpterus as an amendment 

 for P. niger, so it does not apply to this species. 



Dr. P. Rendall met with these Tits at the Gambia and 

 remarked : " "When the bird flies, the contrast of black and 

 white is very striking." In this district Mr. Budgett procured 

 a pair at Kunchow Creek, and specimens have also been 

 collected by Verreaux at Casamanse, and by Beudouin at 

 Bissao. In Liberia Mr. Biittikofer met with the species at 

 the Kasinga river. Inland from the Gold Coast Captain W. 

 Giffard found it at Gambaga, and a pair from the same district 



