164 PARUS 



<$ ad. (Dzungaria). Differs from P. cinereus in being larger, the upper 

 parts much paler and the sides of the neck are white, not black ; beak 

 black ; legs plumbeous ; iris dark brown. Culmen 0*55, wing 3'0, tail 3*35, 

 tarsus 0'85 inch. Female similar but a trifle smaller. 



Hob. Resident in Transcaspia, Afghanistan, and Turkestan. 



Frequents woods and groves, usually near water, both in the 

 plains and mountains, and in general habits resembles Parus 

 major, but its note is louder. It breeds in April in the holes of 

 trees, frequently in the old nest-holes of woodpeckers. The 

 nest is composed of fine tamarisk twigs and the wool of various 

 animals, or of rotten wood and feathers, and the eggs resemble 

 those of P. major. 



237. COAL TITMOUSE. 

 PARUS ATER. 



Parus ater, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 341 (1766) ; Naum. iv. p. 34, Taf. 94 y 

 fig. 2 ; Gould, B. of E. iii. pi. 155, fig. 1 ; Newton, i. p. 489 ; 

 Dresser, iii. p. 87, pi. 107, fig. 3 ; Gadow, Cat. B. Br. Mus. viii. 

 p. 40 ; Saunders, p. 105 ; Lilford, ii, p. 104, pi. 46. 



Mtsange noire, French : Garrapinos, Span. ; Cincia mora, 

 Ital. ; Tannenmeise, German ; Zwarte Mees, Dutch ; Sortmeise, 

 Dan. ; Kulmeise, Norweg. ; Svartmes, Swed. ; Mustatiitinen, 

 Finn. ; Tchernaya-Sinitchka, Russ. ; Sosnovka, Polish. 



ad. (Sweden). Crown, sides of the neck, and throat black ; cheeks 

 and a large muchal patch white ; upper parts clear slaty blue ; under parts- 

 white, the flanks washed with buff ; wings and tail blackish, externally 

 margined with grey ; median and greater wing-coverts tipped with white,, 

 forming two alar bars ; bill black ; legs plumbeous ; iris brown. Culmen 

 0'4, wing 2'4, tail 2'0, tarsus 1*65 inch. Sexes alike. The young have 

 the black portions duller, the upper parts washed with olivaceous, the nape, 

 cheeks, and under parts yellowish. 



Hob. Europe from about 64 to 65 N. Lat. to the Medi- 

 terranean ; Siberia ; Asia Minor and Central Asia to northern 

 China and Japan ; rare in Great Britain. 



In its habits it is lively and active, continually on the move, 

 flitting amongst the branches, clinging to the twigs in every 

 position, often head downwards. Its flight is short, laboured, 

 jerky, and rather weak, and its note is a clear, shrill che- 

 chee, che-chee, audible at a considerable distance. Its food con- 

 sists almost entirely of insects and their larvae worms, and 



