PARIXJE. 451 



Subfamily PARINJE, OB TITS. 



The Tits and their allies are a group of little birds, connected with the 

 Turdinae through the Accentors, and with the Sylviinse through the Gold- 

 crests. From both these subfamilies they are distinguished by their 

 conical bills with no dental notch. From the former they are further 

 distinguished by their scutellated tarsi, and from the latter by their single 

 moult. Though they resemble the Laniinae in many points, the deep 

 tooth in the bill of the latter is Sf sufficient mark of distinction. It is a 

 much more difficult matter to separate the Tits from the Crows. The 

 latter appear to be a distinct group of birds, which, like the Warblers, moult 

 in spring as well as iu autumn. In other respects the Tits are remarkably 

 like miniature Crows. Sharpe attempts to define the two groups by 

 supposing that in the latter the chin-angle is produced before the line 

 of the nostrils,, whilst iu the former it only reaches as far as the line of 

 the auterior margin of the nasal suture. I confess I am quite unable to 

 perceive aiiy constant difference in this respect, and am obliged to take 

 refuge iu the unscientific character of size, and diagnose the Corvinae as 

 always bigger than Sparrows and the Parinse as always less. 



The Paring are almost cosmopolitan. They are found throughout the 

 Palaearctie, Xearctic, and Oriental Regions, and more sparingly in the 

 Neotropical, ^Ethiopian, and Australian Regions. They number about 

 three hundred species and subspecies, of which about thirty are found on 

 the continent of Europe. Of these, half have occurred in the British 

 Islands, belonging to nine genera, which may be distinguished as follows : 



a. Bill short, uot so long as the tarsu< . 



a 1 . Tail graduated, outside tail-feathers less than half the length of 



the longest. 

 a 2 . Bill yellow, the feathers on the side of the throat elongated 



into a moustache PAXXTBUS. 



b 2 . Bill black ; no nioustachial feathers ACREDHLA. 



b l . Tail nearly even. 



c 3 . Nostrils covered with feathers. 



a 3 . Bill stout, the height at the nestrils about half the 



length PAKUS. 



b 3 . Bill slender, the height at the nostrils about one eighth 



the length REGULUS. 



d*. Nostrils bare. 



c 3 . Bastard primary more than half the length of the 



second TROGLODYTES. 



2o2 



