PARUS 305 



The Tits are small in size, usually of arboreal habits and feed 

 chiefly on insects, occasionally on small seeds. 



About sixty species and subspecies are known, distributed over 

 Europe, Asia, Africa and North America, Four species and sub- 

 species occur in South Africa. 



Wing, head and foot of Parus afer. 



Key to the Species. 



a. Back and lesser wing-coverts grey P. afer, p. 305. 



b. Back pale reddish-grey; wing-coverts blackish- 



brown P. pallidiventris, 



p. 307. 



e. Back glossy blue-black ; lesser and middle wing- 

 coverts white P. niger, p. 307. 



d. Back dull black; wing-coverts as in P. niger 



typicus P. niger xantlwsto- 



mus, p. 308. 



//M 



177. Parus afer. Grey Tit. 



Parus afer, Gm. Syst. Nat. i, p. 1010 (1788) ; Gray, Gen. B. i, p. 192 

 (1847) ; Jard. and Selby, Illustr. Orn., pi. 117 (L830) ; Gurney in 

 Andersson's B. Damara Land, p. 81 (1872) ; Gadoiv, Cat. B. M. viii, 

 p. 39 (1883) ; Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 329 (1884) ; 

 Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 9 (1896). 



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