PARUS NIGER. 233 



Ibis, 1874, p. 373 Bamangwato ; Shelley, Ibis, 1875, p. 73 Durban: 

 Ayres, Ibis, 3 880, p. 103 Transvaal; Sharpe, in Oates's Matabele, 

 p. 310 (1881); Sbelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 257 Limpopo, Umvuli U. 

 Mashona; Butler, Feilden and Reid, Zool. 1882, p. 248 Natal; 

 Gadow, Cat. B. M. viii. p. 7 (1883), pt. south of Cunene and 

 Zambesi ; Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. pp. 331, 835 (1884) ; 

 Fleck, J. f. 0. 1894, p. 412 Damara ; Shelley, B. Afr. I. No. 117 

 (1896); Kendall, Ibis, 189G, p. 171 Transvaal; Boyd Alexander, 

 Ibis, 1899, p. 562 Zambesi; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 233 Mashona; 

 Stark, Faun. S. Afr. I. p. 307 (1900). 

 Parus leucopterus, Swains. B. W. Afr. ii. p. 42 (1837) ; Layard, B. S. 

 Afr. p. 113 (1867). 



Adult Male (dark form). Similar to P. insignis, but smaller, and with 

 the white margins of the greater series of wing-coverts and quills narrower ; 

 more white on the tail, and some white edges to the under tail-coverts. 

 Objimbinque, <? 29. 9. 66 (Andersson). (Ordinary form) : Upper parts 

 blue black ; wing with nearly the entire median series of coverts white and 

 with partial white edges to the remainder of the feathers ; tail with clear 

 white bands on the outer edges, and with white terminal margins to all the 

 feathers ; under parts more dusky, with a slaty grey shade on the flanks ; 

 feathers of the thighs and the under tail-coverts broadly tipped with white, 

 under wing-coverts and inner margins of quills mostly white. " Bill black ; 

 iris brown; legs slaty grey." Total length 5 - 6 inches, culmen 0-45, 

 wing 345, tail 2-6, tarsus 0'8. Swaziland, $, 22. 7. 76 (T. E. Buckley). 



Adult Female. Similar to the male but with the throat and breast 

 nearly uniform slaty grey, with the feathers of the abdomen, thighs, and 

 under tail-coverts edged with white. Total length 6-5 inches, culmen 0-45, 

 wing 3-3, tail 3, tarsus 0-75. Bamaqueban R., ? , 4. 9. 73 (F. Oates). 



Immature. Similar in plumage to the adults only with the under surface 

 tinted with rufous and mottled with dull black ; inside of the mouth black. 

 Durban, 7. 3. 74 (Shelley). 



Levaillant's Black Tit ranges over South Africa south from 

 the Cunene river and Nyasaland. 



Chapman records the species as scarce in the Lake Ngami 

 district. Andersson met with it more frequently near the 

 Okavango river and Lake Ngami than in Damaraland proper, 

 and procured specimens at Elephant Vley and at Objimbinque, 

 but never observed it in Great Namaqualand. He writes : 

 " It is generally found in pairs, searching amongst the larger 

 trees for insects and their larva? ; it also feeds on seeds." 



