PARUS ULTRAMARINUS 139 



Bone. Dr. Koenig is also of opinion that this Tit nests in holes in 

 the gi'ound, having frequently noticed these birds on the ground 

 during the nesting season. Probably the species nests both in the 

 holes of trees and in the ground, like its European congener. 



No Marsh-Tit appears to occur in North-west Africa, or indeed 

 anywhere in the African continent. 



PARUS ULTRAMARINUS, Bonaparte. 

 ULTEAMAEINE TITMOUSE. 



Parus ultramarinus, Bonaparte, llcv. at Mag. dc Zool. 1841, p. 146; 



Kocni<], J. f. 0. 1892, p. 388 ; Whitakcr, Ibis, 1895, p. 96. 

 Parus coeruleanus, Malherbe, Cat, Bais. d'Ois. Alg. p. 13 (1846). 

 Cyanistes ultramarinus, Loche, Expl. Sci. Alg. Ois. i, p. 300 (1867). 

 Parus tenerifFae, Eoenig, J. f. 0. 1888, p. 188. 

 Parus cceruleus ultramarinus, Erlanger, J. f. 0. 1899, p. 310. 



Description. — Adult male, spring, from Ghardimaou, North Tunisia. 



Forehead, superciliary stripes, ear-coverts, cheeks and a line round 

 the hind part of the crown pure white; crown, lores, a streak behind the 

 eyes, throat and a stripe from this round the hindpart of the neck deep 

 glossy blue ; nape, back, wings and tail bluish, the two central rectrices 

 and the wing-coverts brighter ; the secondaries and greater-coverts tipped 

 with white ; breast and remainder of the underparts greenish-yellow, with 

 some blackish feathers on the centre of the lower breast. 



Iris dark brown ; bill black ; feet bluish-slate. 



Total length 4-50 inches, wing 2-40, culmen -35, tarsus -70. 



Adult female similar to the male, but slightly duller in colouring. 



This species, which appears to be the North-west African represen- 

 tative of the Blue Titmouse group, is quite the commonest Tit to 

 be found in Tunisia, and has a much more extensive range in the 

 Regency than either of the preceding members of the family. Besides 

 being generally distributed throughout the more northern and better 

 wooded parts of the country, it is also to be met with in Central 

 Tunisia and in some of the southern oases. In the fine oasis of 

 Gafsa I have found this Tit in considerable numbers in spring among 

 the olive- groves and fruit-orchards which are so plentiful there, and 

 I am informed that it also occurs in the oases of Tozer and Nelta, 



