BLUE TIT. 365 



European Continent. M. Vieillot says it inhabits the 

 Canary Islands; it is found in Sicily and in Crete. M. 

 Temminck, in his Supplement, says that it is found in the 

 Morea, and includes it also in his Catalogue of the Birds of 

 Japan. 



The male has the beak of a dusky horn colour, almost 

 black; the forehead bluish white, the white extending 

 backwards in a band over the eyes ; the crown of the 

 head azure blue ; from the nostril to the eye, and from 

 thence over the ear-coverts to the nape of the neck, a 

 stripe of Prussian blue ; the irides dark hazel ; above 

 the eye, and under the blue colour of the crown of the 

 head, is a white band, already noticed, which isolating 

 the blue colour above it, has given rise to the term Blue- 

 cap, another name by which this bird is known ; the 

 cheeks are white ; the nape of the neck has a band of 

 Prussian blue, which passing forward on each side, under 

 the white cheeks, joins a triangular patch of blackish blue 

 colour which descends from the chin over the throat ; 

 the back and upper tail-coverts yellowish green ; wings 

 and tail pale blue ; the greater wing-coverts and the ter- 

 tials with a white spot at the tip of each ; under surface 

 of the body sulphur yellow, with a central longitudinal 

 patch of dark blue ; under surface of the wing and tail- 

 feathers pearl grey ; legs, toes, and claws, bluish black. 



The whole length of the bird four inches and a half. 

 From the carpal joint to the end of the wing, two inches 

 and three-eighths ; the first quill-feather not quite half 

 as long as the second ; the third longer than the second ; 

 the fourth the longest in the wing. 



