PARIDJE PARUS 307 



holes in the ground. On one occasion I met with a family party 

 of these Tits climbing about a paling round the grave of a ship- 

 wrecked sailor on the sandy coast of Namaqua Land, at a distance 

 of quite forty miles from the nearest tree. 



Layard met with this Tit in the Karroo, between Nel's 

 Poort and the Swartberg, " creeping about the sides of dry water- 

 courses, clinging to the perpendicular banks and apparently 

 searching for spiders." " In the Transvaal," says Ayres, " these 

 birds are sparsely scattered along the rivers, frequenting scrub 

 and bush, feeding upon insects, and creeping about the roots and 

 low branches in search of their food ; their flight is not prolonged, 

 and their notes are harsh." 



The African Grey Tit builds its nest in September, in a hole 

 in a tree or rock, occasionally in a wall or even in the ground ; 

 it is a bulky, somewhat flat structure of dry grass and feathers, 

 mixed with hair, wool, and fur. Usually five or six, but some- 

 times as many as twelve eggs are laid. They are white sparingly 

 spotted with pale red, principally at the large end, and average 

 0-68 x 0-54. 



178. Parus pallidiventris. Pale-bellied Tit. 



Parus pallidiventris, Eeiclien. Journ. f. Orn. 1885, p. 217 ; Shelley, B. 

 Afr. i, p. 9 (1896). 



Description. Adult. Above, pale reddish-grey; wing-coverts 

 and quills blackish-brown edged externally with white ; tail- 

 feathers black narrowly edged and tipped with white ; head, face, 

 chin and throat black, merging into slate-grey on the chest and 

 pale fawn-colour on the abdomen. 



Iris brown ; bill, legs and feet black. 



Length 6'00 ; wing 3'30 ; tail 2-60 ; tarsus 0'80 ; culrnen 0-50. 



This Tit differs from Parus rufiventer, Bocage, of Benguela, in 

 being much paler on both the back and abdomen. 



Distribution. East Africa, ranging southward to Mosambique 

 and Mashon aland (Francis). 





179. Parus niger. Black Tit. 



La Mesange noire, Levaill. Ois. d'Afr. iii, pi. 137, figs. 1, 2 (1805). 

 Parus niger, Bonn, et Vieill. Enc. Meth. p. 508 (1823); Gurney in 

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



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