162 PARUS 



Mdsange-charbonnier, French ; Carlonero, Quive-vive, Span. , 

 Cinciallegra, Ital. ; Kohlmeise, German ; Koolmees, Dutch ; 

 Musvitsmeise, Dan. ; Kjodmeise, Norweg. ; Talgmes, Swed. ; 

 Talitiitinen, Finn. ; Oliknovennaya-Sinitchka, Jiromdka, Russ. 



ad. (England). Crown, sides of neck, throat, and a broad line down 

 the centre of the breast glossy black ; lower nape citron, back yellowish 

 green ; rump and upper tail-coverts slate-grey ; wings and tail black 

 margined with slate-grey, larger wing-coverts tipped, and outer tail- 

 feathers fnargined with white ; cheeks and ear-coverts white ; under parts 

 citron-yellow ; bill and iris black ; legs plumbeous. Culmen 0'45, wing 

 2'95, tail 2*45, tarsus 07 inch. Female similar but duller. The young 

 also duller and have the cheeks tinged with yellow. 



Hob. The whole of Europe from Lapland down to Algeria ; 

 Asia Minor, Palestine east to Persia ; Siberia east to Dauria. 



Lively and active it appears to be continually on the move in 

 search of food. It frequents gardens, orchards, and woods, 

 feeding chiefly on insects and their larvae, to some extent also 

 on seeds, and will attack and kill small and weakly birds, open 

 the skull, and devour the brain. In the winter they collect in 

 small family parties, and rove about the country. The nest is 

 placed in the hole of a tree or wall, or any similar suitable 

 place, and is usually bulky, consisting of a foundation of dry 

 moss or grass, on which is a soft bed of hair, wool, or feathers, and 

 the eggs, which are generally deposited in April, vary from 

 6 to 10 in number, and are white, spotted and blotched with 

 red, measuring about 0*7 by 0'51. 



233. SUBSP. PARUS APHRODITE. 



Parus aphrodite, Madarasz, Termesz. Fiisetek. 1901, p. 272. 



(J ad. (Cyprus). Is intermediate in appearance between Parus major 

 and minor, differing from the latter in having the under parts yellower. 

 Culmen 0'5, wing 2*67, tail 2'38, tarsus 0'8 inch. The female is rather 

 yellower than the male. 



Hcib. The island of Cyprus, where it is resident. 



In habits and nidification it is said not to differ from P. 

 major, 



234. JAPANESE TITMOUSE. 

 PARUS MINOR. 



Parus minor, Temm. and Schlegel, Faun. Jap. Aves. p. 70, pi. 33 (1850); 

 Gould, B. of Asia, ii. pi. 56 ; Gadow, Cat. B. Br. Mus. viii. p. 15. 



