PARUS GRISEIVENTRIS. 243 



of insects, and build their nests in holes in the ground. On 

 one occasion I met with a family party of these Tits climbing 

 about a paling round the grave of a shipwrecked sailor on the 

 sandy coast of Namaqua Land, at a distance of quite forty 

 miles from the nearest tree." 



I now come to the race with the medium sized bill which 

 I call in my key P. intermedins ; it is represented in the British 

 Museum by the following specimens : a, the type, 2 7. G. 77 

 Potchefstroom ; b, <? , Modder R. ; e, 10. 8. 78 Rustenberg ; 

 d, ?, 14. 10. 73 Bamangwato; e, S, 28. 9. 73 Matabele ; /, <?, 

 27. 9. 73 Inyati. According to Mr. T. Ayres, these birds are 

 "sparsely scattered along the rivers, frequenting shrubs and 

 low bushes, feeding upon insects and creeping about the roots 

 and low branches in search of their food ; their flight is not 

 prolonged and their note is harsh." In the most northern 

 known range for this race, it is recorded by Mr. T. E. Buckley 

 as "a very common species throughout the Matabele and 

 Bamano'wato district." 



O 



The small billed race, P. parvirostris, which has the bill 

 scarcely half the size of the typical P. afer from western South 

 Africa, is represented in the British Museum by the following 

 three specimens : a, the type, 3, 12. 4 95 Mashonaland (Guy 

 Marshall) ; b, Samoukwe R. 10. 73 (F. Oates) ; c, KatuDgo, on 

 Shire R. (Sharpe). According to Mr. Marshall, these birds are 

 not uncommon in the mimosa-bush, and closely resemble the 

 European Great Tit in general habits. 



The white nuchal patch is almost or entirely absent in 

 every specimen I have examined which has been killed in 

 September. 



Parus griseiventris. 



Parus griseiventris, Reichen. J. f. 0. 1882, pp. 210, 235 Kakoma ; 1886, 

 pi. 2, fig. 1 ; id. Vog. Deutsch. O. Afr. p. 214 (1893) ; Gadow, Cat, 

 B. M. viii. p. 40 (1883) ; Shelley, B. Afr. I. No. 125 (1896). 



