BIRDS FROM NORTHERN AND WESTERN PERSIA. 86 



Acredula caudata alpina, (Hablizl.). 

 1^.2$, Resht. — Januaiy. 



1 unsexed, Enzeli — February. 



2 imm. Enzeli— 30th June (R. E. C). 

 1^. Noglabar. — 21st March. 



1 imm. Tula Rud, Talish— 8th July. 



I first saw Long-tailed Tits at Kermanshah, where they were common in the 

 little oak wood on the edge of the town among parties of other species of Tit. The 

 birds from Kermanshah are separable from Long-tailed Tits from GUan by 

 the much paler colour of their upper sides. On the other hand they are not 

 separable from specimens from W. Turkey in Asia, and must therefore be called 

 A. c. tephranota, Gunther (1865), (Terra typica, Asiatic side of Bosphorus). Pas- 

 sekii of Zarudny described in 1904 from S. W. Persia is a sj-nonym. 



I saw no Long-tailed Tits between Kermanshah and the great Caspian forests, 

 and this agrees with Zarudny. The moment one enters the forest which borders 

 the Casf)ian Sea, Long-tailed Tits are found ; thej' are common both in the 

 dry oak woods on hillsides at Menjil and Noglabar and also in the very wet 

 lowlying mixed forest roimd Resht and Enzeli. I found a nest ready for eggs 

 on 19th February at Resht, but never saw fledged young till the end of May 

 when they became common at EnzeH, etc. 



This race, which inhabits Gilan and Mazandaran and the Talish is much 

 darker on the upper surface than A. c. tephronota. It must be called A. c. alpina 

 Hablizl (Pallas, Neue Xord. Beytrag IV, p. 49, 1783, from Gilan). I am inde-bted 

 to jMr. H. F. Witherby for pointing out the identity of the Long-tailed Tit of 

 W. and S. W. Persia with that of Asia Minor, and its distinctness from the form 

 which appeal's to be confined to the great forest which fringes the S. W. and 

 S. shores of the Caspian. The juvenile plumage of A. c. alpina is undescribed, 

 and Mr. Witherby has been good enough to draw up this description of it 

 from our specimens. " Brown like juveniles of A. c. caudatus on upper parts, 

 but not quite so dark, and centre of crown not white, but with onl}' a few narrow 

 white edgings to the feathers of centre of hinder part of crown ; chin and throat 

 pinkish-buff, not so pink as in glaiicognlaris and not extending down breast ; 

 throat with no black patch as in adult ; upper breast %vith brown streaks much 

 as adult, rest of under-parts whiter than in adult, and with no pink. Decidedly 

 darker than A. c. tephronota in same plumage." 



Anthoscopus peiididinus persimilis, Hartert. 



1^, 1 2, Khurramdurrah— 23rd June (R. E. C). 

 Cheesman's skins appear to belong to this race, which is known (Hartert 

 1918) from EregU in the Cilician Taurus, Lenkoran on the west coast of the 

 Caspian and L. Uramiyeh. No doubt the Anthoscopus pendnlinus which Zarudny 

 records as breeding in N. W, Pei-sia belonged to this form. The wing of the 

 above male measures 53-5 mm, of the female 52 mm. Cheesman says " feeding 

 m popular trees, organs small. Another pail- was seen ■nith fljdng young. 

 Continually utters a shrill plaintive whine Uke a Reed Bunting. Sways from 

 side to side meanwhile. Iris dark brown, bill brown, feet plumbeous." I saw 

 a nest of some race of the Penduline Tit at Kermanshah in December 1918, 

 hanging from the tip of a willow twig. 



Laniiis coUurio, L. — Red-backed Shrike. u a -i .i 



Red-backed Shrikes arrived at Enzeli in smaU numbers on 30th April and 



remained through the summer. I found a nest with newly hatched young at 



Tula Rud, Persian Talish in a bush on the shore of the Caspian on July 4th 

 No specimens were obtamed. This is regrettable ; they would probably 



represent the little known Lanius collurio kobrjlini of Buturlm {fuscatus, /.ar. 



non Lesson). 



