.EGITHALUS. 245 



The types, an adult pair, were shot out of a small flock of 

 six by Mr. Lort Phillips during his first journey into Somali- 

 land, in company with Mr. James and Dr. Thrupp, and was 

 named, at his request, after the latter gentleman. 



Mr. Elliot collected four males at Le Gud and Hullier, and 

 writes : " We met with this Tit as soon as we entered upon 

 the plateau, the localities given being near the Golis range, 

 the last one a short march from Hargeisa." Dr. A. Donaldson 

 Smith procured a specimen at Milmil, and Mr. Hawker at 

 Haragogara and Jifa Medir, and writes : " I was first attracted 

 by the note of this bird, which was somewhat harsher than 

 that of Parus major. Its habits seem to be identical with 

 those of the latter." The occurrence of this species in the 

 adjoining British East Africa rests on the type of P. baralcse, 

 which was shot at Njemps in September, and differs from the 

 type of P. thruppi only in the same characters as examples 

 of South African Cole Tits procured in September do from 

 nearly all the other specimens. 



Genus II. ^GITHALUS. 



Bill straight, conical, and sharply pointed. All the members of this 

 genus construct very peculiar pendent nests, from which they derive the 

 name of Penduline Tits. The nests are strongly constructed of soft materials 

 closely felted together. The eggs, six to twelve in number, are uniform pure 

 white. They feed like the members of the genus Parus, but are probably 

 more given to frequent marshy localities, and apparently they are better 

 songsters. They are also all of very diminutive size. 



This genus is represented in the Ethiopian region by certainly seven well- 

 marked known species, all of which are confined to Tropical and Southern 

 Africa, and all have a comparatively long first primary. 



The key to the species of this genus (Cat. viii. p. 66) might be corrected 

 thus : — 



(a) First primary very short. Subgeneric group .ZEgithalus. 



(b) First primary long (= about half the length of the second primary). 

 Subgeneric group Anthoscopus. 



