246 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vel. XXVIII 
These specimens of dukhunensis have rather paler upperparts and much 
broader margins of white on the coverts and tertials than alba has. Other races 
were reported by various observers at different places, but in the absence of speci- 
mens I must.omit personata altogether and the same remark applies to Jugubris. 
which Meinerzhagen (Ibis, 1914, p.390) said he found to be common—a bird mosé 
unlikely to occur. However persica certainly occurs at Ahwaz; Woosnam got 
one there on February 27th and Zarudny records it as a winter visitor. 
56. Large Rock Nuthatch. Sitta neumayer. 
Sitta neumayer dresseri, Zar. and But. (Orn. Monats, 1906, p. 132— 
Mountains of S. W. Persia). 
Buxton found Rock Nuthatches common in the gorge of the Diala river, where 
it cuts through the Jebel Hamrin, on November 22nd and Cheesman obtained 
this race at Kasir Sherin on May 22nd just over the Persian frontier in this 
district. Probably it occurs in suitable places all along the Jebel Hamrin as 
Baily obtained it at Shustar on February 7th. Cheesman found them in pairs 
on overhanging rocks near the rivers and says their call is like that of the English 
Nuthatch only louder. 
Zarudny says it is resident in the Karun district, in the hilly parts only of 
course. 
One skin examined : Shustar, 7-2-18 (F. M. B.). Wing 90, Bill from base 28°5mm, 
57- Small Rock Nuthatch. Sitta rupicola. 
Sitta rupicole tschitscherini, Zar. (Orn. Jahrb., 1994, p. 218—Ispahan). 
This species, which in some parts at all events lives alongside the Large 
Nuthatch, is recorded by Zarudny as a resident in small numbers in the Karun 
district. We have no certain records of it. For a full account of Persian Rock 
Nuthatches, see Bull. B. O. C. ccli, pp. 135-9, where Buxton points out the very 
interesting fact that in N. W. Persia there are two kinds differing much in size 
but not in colour and in S. W. Persia these are replaced by two very pale sub- 
species also differing from each other in size but not in colour. 
58. Great Tit. Parus major. 
Parus major blanfordi, Prazak (Orn. Jahrb. v., p. 240, 1894—Teheran 
in Persia). ; 
The Great Tit only occurs so far as we know at present in the Khusistan part 
which for zoological purposes I have included in Mesopotamia. Cheesman met 
with a family party at Shush in willow jungle by the Kerkha river where it evi- 
dently breeds. Woosnam also obtained it at Dizful and Shush in March. 
Zarudny gives it as a winter bird in this area. 
Zarudny and Loudon (Orn. Monat., xiii, 1905, p. 108) separated the Great Tit 
of S. W. Persia (type locality Zagros Mts.) as zagrossiensis and gave a number 
of characters by which it differed from the typical race, P. major, of Sweden. 
I must here point out and protest against what is a not uncommon practice 
amongst some continental (and even some British) ornithologists and that is 
comparing some supposed new race, vot with its nearest ally, but with something 
totally different. Now all Great Tits from the Persian plateau south to Khu- 
zistan differ very markedly from Swedish birds and it is fairly obvious that, if 
birds from the Zagros are thought to be different to the former, it is with the 
Teheran blanfordi that they should be compared, and not with the Swedish 
birds. 
Now I have compared 15 birds from Shush, Dizful, Shiraz, with a dozen or 
more from Teheran, Kasvin, Kermanshah, and I cannot see the slightest differ- 
snce between the two series. The differences which Zarudny and Loudon 
give between zagrossiensis and major, when applied to the former and blanfordi 
I find either hold good in both or are inconstant in both. I consider that 
zagrossiensis is a pure synonym of blanfordi. 
