134 ALLEN'S NATURALIST'S LIBRARY. 



figs, i, 2 (1871); Newt. ed. Yarr., i., p. 483 (1874); 

 B. O. U. List Br. B., p. 27 (1883) ; Gadow, Cat. B. Brit. 

 Mus., viii., p. 27 (1883) ; Seeb , Brit. B., i., p. 468 (1883) ; 

 Saunders, Man., p. 101 (1889); Wyatt, Brit. B., pi. 8, 

 fig. i (1894). 



Adult Male. General colour above light green ; the wings 

 and tail blue, the greater coverts tipped with white, forming a 

 bar, the inner secondaries also tipped with white ; crown of 

 head blue, the forehead whitish, the crown also surrounded 

 with a ring of greyish -white, followed by a band of blue, which 

 commences behind the eye as a narrow stripe and widens out 

 on the nape as a broad band, the latter extending down the 

 sides of the neck, and occupying the chin and throat ; behind 

 this blue-black band is an indistinct patch of greyish-white ; 

 the whole of the cheeks, sides of face, and ear-coverts greyish- 

 white ; remainder of under surface of body yellow, greener on 

 the flanks, whiter on the centre of the breast and abdomen ; in 

 the centre of the breast a streak of dusky blue ; under wing- 

 coverts yellow ; quill-lining white ; bill dusky horn-colour ; 

 feet leaden-blue ; iris dark brown. Total length, 4*5 inches ; 

 culmen, 0*35 ; wing, 2*5 ; tail, 1*85 ; tarsus, o $ 65. 



Adult Female. Like the male, but a trifle duller in colour. 



Young. Much more dingy than the adults; the crown and 

 neck-markings dusky olive ; the whole of the sides of the 

 face, which are white in the adult, are pale yellow in the young, 

 the under surface being entirely of the latter colour, without 

 any central streak of dusky blue on the breast. 



Range in Great Britain. Universally distributed throughout 

 the three kingdoms, and very common in Ireland. It is also 

 found throughout Scotland, even to the far north, but has not 

 yet been recognised in the Outer Hebrides. A western migra- 

 tion from the Continent takes place in autumn, when numberr, 

 of Blue Tits pass over Heligoland, and the birds arrive on oui 

 east coasts in quantities. 



Range outside the British Islands. Found generally throughout 

 Europe, reaching eastward to the Ural Mountains and the 

 Caucasus, in Russia as high as 61 N. lat., and in Norway- 

 even further north, to 64. To the south of the Mediterranean 



