Common Birds of Western Himalayas 



you will have transformed him into a yellow- 

 cheeked tit. 



There remain to be described two pigmy tits. 

 The first of these is that feathered exquisite, 

 the red-headed tit (jEgithaliscus erythroce- 

 phalus). I will not again apologise for the name ; 

 it must suffice that the average ornithologist is 

 never happy unless he be either saddling a 

 small bird with a big name or altering the de- 

 nomination of some unfortunate fowl. This 

 fussy little mite is not so long as a man's 

 thumb. It is crestless ; the spot where the 

 crest ought to be is chestnut red. The re- 

 mainder of the upper plumage is bluish grey, 

 while the lower plumage is the colour of rust. 

 The black face is set off by a white eyebrow. 

 Last, but not least, of our common tits is the 

 crested black tit (Lopbopbanes melanopterus). 

 The crested head and breast of this midget are 

 black. The cheeks and nape are white, while 

 the rest of the upper plumage is iron grey. 



There is yet another tit of which mention 

 must be made, because he is the common tit 

 of Almora. The climate of Almora is so 

 much milder than that of other hill stations 

 that its birds are intermediate between those of 

 the hills and the plains. The Indian grey tit 



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