504 CLASS XVI. 



in Spain; Alauda africana GM., BUFF. PI. enl. 712, Cape of Good 

 Hope, &c. 



Macronyx SWAINS. Bill moderate, slender, subcurved, keeled, 

 obscurely emarginate at the tip. Nostrils basal, lateral, placed 

 in fossa, elongate. Tarsi long, exceeding the middle toe. Toes 

 elongate; hallux long, furnished with a long, acute claw. 



Sp. Macronyx flavicollis SWAINS., Alauda capensis L., BUFF. PL enl. 504, 

 fig. i t RUEPPELL neue Wirbelth. PI. 38, fig. 2 ; Africa. (The covering of 

 the tarsi appears to justify the position of this genus near Alauda rather 

 than near Anthus.) 



Family XLII. Parince. Primaries ten, with first short. 

 Wing-coverts short. Tarsi covered anteriorly with long scutes, 

 or above with a continuous scute, below with transverse scutes, 

 posteriorly within and without with a continuous scute. Toes 

 shorter than tarsus, the outer concrete at the base only. Claws 

 curved, compressed, acute. Bill short, conical. 



Parus L. Bill very entire, covered at the base by setae, 

 short, sometimes very short. Nostrils basal, lateral, concealed by 

 recumbent plumules of forehead. Wings with third and fourth or 

 fourth and fifth quills longest of all. Tail moderate or elongate. 

 (Tongue truncated, terminated by setsB.) 



The titmice. Small birds of the Eastern hemisphere, some also from 

 North America. Their food consists of insects and seeds. Most of the 

 European species breed twice a year, and lay many eggs ; on the second 

 occasion, however, fewer than on the first. The young ones are fed chiefly 

 with caterpillars. 



a) With first quill short. 



Sp. Parus major L., BUFF. PI. enl. 3, fig. 6, NAUM. Taf. 94, fig. i, Cuv. 

 R. Ani., ed. ill., Ois. PI. 32, fig, 4; the great titmouse, la charbonnidre, la 

 grosse mesange, die Kohl-meise ; back olive-coloured, wings and tail greyish, 

 outer tail-feather white and a large spot under the eye white also, belly 

 yellow-green, head, throat and middle of the breast, steel- coloured black; 

 Parus cceruleus L., BUFF. PL enl. 3, fig. 2, LESS. Ornith. PI. 66, fig. i ; 

 the Hue titmouse, &c. In these species the tail is even and shorter than 

 the body. The following is distinguished by a tail longer than the body, 

 the tail-feathers from without inwards lengthening gradually, Parus cau- 

 datiAS L., the long-tailed titmouse, BUFF. PL enl. 502, fig. 3, NAUM. Taf. 

 95, figs. 4, 5, 6 ; in this species the bill is very short with culmen strongly 

 curved (the sub-genus Mecistura LEACH). 



From this the genus Psaltria TEMM. is not sufficiently distinguished. 



