56 



Nepal at elevations of from 4000 to 7000 ft. This Tit is stated to 

 occur also at various localities in the plains ; at Dungarpur in Mey- 

 war and Jhalod in the Panch Mahals by Littledale ; at Neemuch by 

 Barnes ; and at Mhovv in Central India by Swinhoe and Barnes. 

 There is no doubt, however, that some mistake has been made 

 about its occurrence in these places, M. haplonotus having been 

 confounded with it. A specimen procured by Swinhoe at Mhow 

 and now in the British Museum, labelled M. xanthoyenys, is un- 

 mistakably M. haplonotus with pure white tips to the wing-coverts. 

 Habits, fyc. Breeds in April and May, constructing a pad-like 

 nest of hair and fur in holes in trees and walls. It lays either four 

 or five eggs, which are white or reddish white, speckled and spotted 

 with brick-dust red. They measure -74 by '54.* 



43. Machlolophus haplonotus. The Southern Yellow Tit. 



Parusaplonotus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xvi, p. 444 (1847) ; Gadow, Cat. B. 



M. viii. p. 25. 



Parus jerdoni, Blyth, J. A. 8. B. xxv, p. 445 (1856). 

 Machlolophus iordoni (Bl.}, Jerd. B. I. ii. p. 280; Hume. 8. F. iii, 



p. 492. 

 Machlolophus aplonotus (Bl.\ Hume, S. F. vii, p. 405 ; id. Cat. no. 



648; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 249; Oates in Hume's N. $ E. 



2nd ed. i, p. 39. 



Coloration. Resembles M. xanthoyenys. Differs in being larger 

 in all its dimensions ; in having the wing-coverts tipped with white 

 instead of yellow ; and in having the green and yellow portions of 

 the plumage dull instead of bright. The second character is the 

 most trustworthy. In addition to the above there is another 

 character which is more or less constant : in M. haplonotus the eye- 

 brow extends over the ear-coverts only, and not over the eye. 



The young have the throat, breast, and ventral band greenish 

 brown, and the crown of the same colour as the back with brown 

 shaft-streaks. 



Iris deep brown ; legs and feet bluish lead-colour ; bill black 

 (Butler). 



Length about 6 ; tail 2*4 ; wing 3 ; tarsus '75 ; bill from gape -6. 



Distribution. Throughout the peninsula of India south of a line 

 drawn from Abu to Pareshnath in Behar, up to elevations of 6000 

 feet or so. The species does not appear to be found west of Abu 

 nor east of Pareshnath. 



Habits, fyc. Breeds from May to September, making a small nest 

 of moss and hair in holes of trees and laying five eggs, which are 

 white spotted all over with red ; the dimensions of the eggs are not 

 recorded. 



* PARUS GRIFFITHII, Blyth, J. A. 8. B. xvi, p. 445, described from a drawing, 

 has never yet been identified. Its origin is so obscure and its existence so 

 doubtful that it may well be omitted from this work. Its description is repro- 

 duced in ' Stray Feathers,' vol.yii, p. 445. 



