AZURE TIT. 69 



the length of feather grey, which colour then passes off diagonally to 

 within half an inch of the tip, which is white. This proportion of 

 colour increases on the other feathers until only a moderate-sized white 

 tip is left. The wing has the upper coverts grey, and the lower ones 

 white, with their bases dark blue, forming a conspicuous white band 

 across the wing. The primaries are dark slate-colour, with the basal 

 half of the outer web ultramarine, and the rest pure white. The 

 secondaries have the inner web dark slate, bordered with white, and 

 the outer web ultramarine; tip white, forming a second white wing 

 band. Bastard primary half the length of the second, which is equal 

 to the seventh. The third, fourth, and fifth equal and longest in the 

 wing; tarsus four fifths of an inch; beak two fifths of an inch; legs 

 and beak black; claws long and sharp. 



Note on the label by Dr. Dybowski, made when the bird was in 

 the flesh: — Country, River Ussuri, 48° N. Lat. Male, total length one 

 hundred and forty millemetres. Expanse of wing two hundred and 

 eight millemetres. Distance from apex of wings to end of tail 

 thirty-eight millemetres. Weight 12.792 grammes. Iris fuscous brown. 



The bird above described is the one figured. The egg was also 

 taken by Dr. Dybowski. 



The female has the top of the head grey white; all the blue colours 

 less pure, and the blue band which passes through the eyes is smaller 

 in the nape. 



Figured by Temminck and Laugier; Pallas, Nov. Comm. Acad. 

 Peterop, pi. 23, fig. o; Naumann, Vogel Deutsch., vol. iv., pi. 95; 

 Gould, pi. 153; Fritsch, B. of E.; Werner, Atlas, pi. 15; and Dresser, 

 Birds of Europe. 



