530 Mr. H. F. Witherby— Ornithological 



40. Parus major Liun. ; Blanf. t. c. p. 227. 



64, 76, 89, 104, 147, 148, 178, 179, 205, 297. Ad. ; 187, 

 30e>. Juv. 



The Great Tit appears to vary considerably in shade of 

 colour. 



Birds from Cyprus, Palestine, Transcaspia, and Persia 

 are generally less vividly coloured than those from further 

 west, the green of the back being paler and more confined, 

 and the yellow of the under parts being also paler. My 

 .specimens are constant in these characters, but Dr. Blanford 

 observed that some Persian specimens had the back rather 

 darker than European birds. On the other hand, I have seen 

 specimens from Spain and Greece as pale or paler than my 

 Persian specimens. 



Parus aphrodite Madarasz, from Cyprus, seems to be a dis- 

 tinct species, and not merely a subspecies, of P. major, for 

 it has grey Hanks, and is quite different from the pale form 

 of P. major found on that island. 



The Great Tit was, with the exception of the Chukar, the 

 commonest and most evenly distributed bird met with during 

 our journey. Except on the plains at the coast and in districts 

 quite bare of trees, it was seen from 2700 ft. at Kamarij, to 

 10,000 ft. at the top of the pass over Dinar, where a pair 

 was frequenting a stunted tree. Throughout the oak-woods 

 it was especially common. 



The dates I noticed for Desting and for fledged young birds 

 were, perhaps, a little earlier than those for the Blue Tit. 



41. Parus ceruleus persicus Blanf. 

 Parus (Cyanistes) persicus Blanf. t. c. p. 230. 

 82, 86, 88, 145, 146, 169, 180. Ad.; 307. Juv. 



The Persian Blue Tit seems to be a distinct race. It is 

 generally smaller than the European bird and is paler in 

 coloration. The white tips to the greater wing-coverts are, 

 moreover, also broader than in P. c&ruleus. 



This bird was common throughout the oak-woods, but I 

 did not see it elsewhere. Its habits and notes, and its nests 

 and eggs, resemble those of our bird. I noticed, however, 



