THE COAL TITMOUSE. 109 



forming this resolve he has been largely helped by 

 the kindness of those gentlemen, which has enabled 

 him to study and compare the typical specimens 

 with a considerable series of others, containing also 

 three examples from the collection of Mr. J. H. 

 Gurney junior, which, though obtained in Norfolk, 

 do not differ from Continental specimens, and may 

 be of foreign parentage ; thus showing that the true 

 Parus ater, in the eyes of those who would separate 

 Parus britannicus from it, has occurred in England, 

 and is possibly an occasional straggler to this country." 



On the supposition that our Coal Titmouse is 

 distinct from the true Parus ater, there is as yet no 

 evidence of the former occurring elsewhere than in 

 the British Islands; but if we regard it as merely a 

 local race, then the species will be found to be very 

 widely spread. 



Like all its congeners, it is resident with us 

 throughout the year, and is believed by some 

 observers to be more common in England now than 

 formerly. It has already been remarked that the 

 Marsh Titmouse is a rare bird in Ireland. This is 

 not so with the Coal Titmouse, which is generally 

 distributed throughout the British Islands. It is a 



