PASSERINE. 265 



large blackish spot on the breast of the male. From the south of 

 Europe, and the deserts of Asia. But especially, 



Al, tartarica, and mutahilis, and Tanagra sibiriea, Gm. — Alouette 

 de Tartaric, Sparm. Mus. Carls, pi. xix. ; Vieill. Galer. 160. The 

 plumage of the adult black, undulated above with grey. It occa- 

 sionally wanders into Europe *. 

 In others, the bill is elongated, slightly compressed, and arcuated, 

 which connects them with Upupa and Promerops. Such is 



Al. africana, Gm.; Le Sirli, Enl. 712; Vieill. Galer. 159. 

 Common in all the sandy plains of Africa; its plumage scarcely 

 differs from that of the Arvensis f . 



Parus, Lin. 



The Titmouse has a slender, short, conical and straight bill, furnished 

 with little hairs at the base, and the nostrils concealed among the feathers. 

 It is a genus of very active little birds, which are continually flitting and 

 climbing from branch to branch, suspending themselves therefrom in all 

 sorts of positions, rending apart the seeds on which they feed, devouring 

 insects wherever they see them, and not sparing even small birds when 

 they happened to find them sick, and are able to put an end to them. They 

 lay up stores of seeds, build in the holes of old trees, and lay more eggs 

 than any of the Passerinae. There are six species of Parus, properly so 

 called, in France. 



P. major, L. ; La Charbonniere, En\. 3. 1; Naum. 94, 1. (The 

 Great Titmouse). An olive colour above; yellow beneath; the 

 head, as well as a longitudinal band on the breast, black : a white 

 triangle on each cheek. Very common in copses and gardens. 



P. ater, L. ; La petite charbonniere, Frisch, I. pi. xiii. 2; Naum. 

 94, 2. Smaller than the preceding; an ash colour in place of the 

 olive, and whitish instead of the yellow. Prefers the great pine 

 forests. 



P. palustris, L.; La Nonncttc; Enl. 3, 3; Naum. 94, 4. (The 

 Marsh Titmouse). Ash- coloured above; whitish beneath ; a black 

 calotte. 



P. cceruleus, L. ; La Mesange a tete blcue; Enl. 3, 2 ; Naum. 95, 

 1,2. (The Blue-headed Titmouse). Olive above; yellowish beneath ; 

 top of the head a fine blue; the cheek white, surrounded with black; 

 forehead white. A pretty little bird, very common in the underwood. 

 P. cristatus, L. ; Le M. huppee, Enl. 502, 2. (The Crested Tit- 

 mouse). Brownish above ; whitish beneath ; throat and circumfer- 

 ence of the cheek, black ; a little tuft mottled with black and white. 

 P. caudatus, L. ; Le M. a longue queue, Enl. 502, 3 ; Naum. 95, 

 4, 5, 6. (The long-tailed Titmouse). Black above; wing coverts, 



* Add, tlie Tracal, Vaill. Afr. pi. cxci;— the Al. gros bee, Id., pi. cxciii. 



f Add, ///. bifusciata, Rupp. pi. 5; Col. 393. 



N.B. Swainson separates from Alauda the Bateleur of Vaill. pi. 194, under the 

 name of Brachonyx; his SentineUc, 195, under that of Macronyx; and of my 

 division with long beaks he makes his Certhilauda. 



VOL. 1. Z 



