.EGITHALUS 183 



.EGITHALUS, Boie, 1822. 



270. PENDULINE TITMOUSE. 

 ^EGITHALUS PENDULINUS. 



^Egithalus pendiil'mus, (Linn.) Syst. Nat. i. p. 342 (1766) ; (Naum.) iv. 

 p. 113, Taf. 97 ; (Gould), B. of E. ii. p. 159 ; Dresser, iii. p. 159, 

 pl.116 ; Gadow, Cat. B. Br. Mus. viii. p. 67 ; JEg. consobr'mus y 

 Swinhoe, P.Z.S. 1870, p. 133 ; Tacz. F. 0. Sib. 0. p. 446 ; Seebohm, 

 B. Jap. Emp. p. 88. 



Remiz penduline, French ; Pendolino, Ital. ; Beutelmeise, 

 German ; Eemez, Enss. 



ad. (Piedmont). Forehead, and sides of head including the ear- 

 coverts deep black, margin of frontal stripe tinged with rufous ; crown 

 and hind neck white with a faint blue-grey tinge ; forepart of back 

 chestnut ; the rest and rump warm ochraceous ; quills and tail blackish 

 margined with white ; the upper wing-coverts chestnut and black tipped 

 with ochreous ; chin and throat white, rest of under parts ochreous 

 white ; the breast marked with chestnut-red ; bill horn ; legs black ; iris 

 brown. Culmen 0'4, wing 2*15, tail 1'95, tarsus 0'5 inch. The female is 

 rather duller in tinge, the head and neck greyer and the black on the head 

 covers a smaller area. The young bird has no black on the head or 

 chestnut on the back. 



Hal. Southern Europe, Asia Minor, Central Asia, Siberia, 

 China, and Japan. 



In habits it is active and lively, and frequents both swampy 

 and dry localities. Its call-note resembles that of the Wood- 

 Wren, but is softer, and it does not become silent when 

 approached by any one. It breeds late in May, and builds a 

 very artistic nest, purse-shaped or globular, with a funnel- 

 shaped entrance at the upper end, constructed of flax, hemp, 

 bark-shreds, tree-cotton, or other vegetable substances closely 

 felted together, and occasionally of wool, or goats', camels', or 

 horsehair. It is attached to the outer twigs of a tree or bush 

 at from 6 to 50 feet above the ground, either near or above 

 water or in a dry locality. The eggs, from 6 to 10 in number, 

 are pure white, elongated oval, and measure about 0'68 by 0*40. 

 Examples from Asia are, as a rule, smaller, and have a smaller 

 and shorter bill, and have been separated under the names of 

 jffig. consobrinus, Swinhoe, and JEg. stoliczkce, Hume ; but, it seems 

 to me, without sufficient reason. I have specimens of this 

 smaller form from the S. Ural. 



