1920. J Hirds of ^anfkeni Palesline. 213 



Parus major. 



I'. Ill, terrn'-saiictir \hirt. 



Tliis race a})pears to he but a small I'orin of zai/ros.sieiisis 

 described hy Sanuliiy from south-west Persia. Birds from 

 the Lebanon have slightly larger wings — 73 mm. — but do 

 not differ in any other way. Terra:. sanctw also has a very 

 slightly darker back than zayrossiensis. 



Seven males in our collection have. wings from G5-71 mm., 

 and three females have wings from 66-70 mm. 



Tlie southernmost point on the coast where this bird was 

 ol)served was Askalon just north of Gaza, and the most 

 northerly point the Lel)anon. Observed at Jerusalem in 

 winter, Init not seen in the Jordan Valley. 



Shiden (Ibis, April I'JID) refers the Palestine Great Tit to 

 hlanfordi, which is confined to the country just south of 

 the Caspian. This certainly is an error. 



This Tit nests in holes in walls or olive trees. Seven half- 

 fledged young were found at Ramleh on 27. vi^- The bird 

 is (juite common throughout the coastal plain and the hills of 

 JudiX3a. 



Lanius minor Gm. 



Fairly common on autumn passage at Rafa, but not noted 

 in spring anywhere in southern Palestine. Tristram notes 

 that this species is very irregular in its visits, only being 

 seen once between 1858 and 1872, but was very common on 

 passage in the middle of May 1882 (Ibis, 1882). 



During autumn passage at Rafa the first arrivals appeared 

 on 14, viii. and the bird soon became common, adult birds pre- 

 dominating. They became scarce at the end of August, the 

 last seen being on 2. ix. This species is a very early migrant, 

 the period of passage being comparatively short. Lynes 

 (Ibis, Jan. 1!I12) noted the passage in Egypt to last from 

 mid-August to mid-September, whilst on the west coast of 

 Asia Minor birds were moving south from 7. viii. to 13. viii. 

 They pass through Armenia from mid-August to early 

 September, through Yemen in early September, arriving in 

 Rhodesia about October. 



