Vol. xxiii.] 34 



aware, these were the oldest known remains of their kind, 

 the only other fossil Passerines of that period (Lower 

 Pliocene) being a few fragments of Corvus and Turdus, from 

 Rousillon, Perpignan. 



Mr. Ogilvie-Grant exhibited a specimen of the Northern 

 Marsh-Tit [Parus borealis (Selys-Longch.)) which had been 

 shot by Mr. J. H. Paddock at Tetbury, Gloucestershire, 

 in March 1907, and made the following remarks : — 



" Mr. Paddock, who has taken considerable interest in the 

 question of the Marsh-Tit and the Willow-Tit, has presented 

 examples of these birds to the British Museum. Among 

 them he has forwarded the present example of P. borealis, 

 which is a North-west European species and has not hitherto 

 been recorded from Great Britain. 



" In connection with the occurrence of this interesting 

 accidental visitor, I should like to quote from part of a letter 

 written by myself to Mr. H. F. Witherby : — ' When I was 

 at Welwyn in Hertfordshire last Sunday (12th of January, 

 1908), I saw a small lot of Marsh-Tits of sorts which in- 

 terested me vastly. I was first attracted by the note (song), 

 which was unknown to me, and sounded like that of a 

 Linnet. I got quite close to one of them ; it was perched 

 on a thorn-bush about 10 yards oflF. There he was, a Marsh- 

 Tit singing a Linnet-like song ! There was no room for 

 doubt. So far as I could see, he was rather a pale-looking 

 bird, and perhaps a trifle more robust than our Marsh-Tit 

 (P. palustris) : the sides of his face were conspicuously 

 white, and his flanks were pale like the breast. I have never 

 seen the Scandinavian Marsh-lit alive, but that was what he 

 reminded me of. I know the Common Marsh-Tit^s notes as 

 well, or better than most people do, but I never heard that 

 species give vent to a little broken ascending song with 

 diff'erent notes. There were four or five birds in company, 

 and two were singing as described. If not the Scandinavian 

 Marsh-Tit, what could the birds have been? Have any of 

 your correspondents met with a similar experience?' 



" As I had not been able to secure a specimen for 



