53 W. T. Blanford.— Zoology of Sikkim. [No. 1, 



dull olive on the rump, wings and tail brown, edged olivaceous exter- 

 nallv, the quills with whitish inner margins ; all the larger wing coverts and 

 some of the smaller primary coverts with white or isabelline spots, forming 

 two very well marked bars ; chin, throat, and upper breast, with the sides of 

 the neck and breast, behind the white spot black, lower breast and abdomen 

 fawn colour, flanks and under tail coverts rather olivaceous. Iris dark brown 

 legs leaden gray, bill black. Length before skinning 4 to 41, wing 23 to 

 2-4, tail 1-65 to 1'8, tarsus, 0-65 to 07, bill from forehead 027 to 0"3 inch. 



In the young bird the head is dull black, cheek spots primerose yellow, 

 back olive, chin and throat brown, breast and abdomen olivaceous. 



This is rather less common than the other two species but it is far from 

 rare in the Sikkim pine forests and has the same distribution. It is closely 

 allied to L. melanolophus, (Vig.), but the coloration of the under parts is 

 different. 



In September and October, these three crested tits were found, old and 

 young, associating in large flocks, together with Phylloscopi, Certhia nipa- 

 lensis, and, below 10,000 feet, with Yuhince, Minla ignotincta and some 

 other Leiotricliince, and Siphia strophiata. The tits are perhaps the most 

 abundant of all, and may be seen actively hunting over the stems and 

 branches of the different trees, pines, birch, &c. for insects. 



635 tEgithaliscus iouschistus, (Hodgs.). — Forehead, centre line of 

 head and nape, a collar completely encircling the neck, a band from the base of 

 the lower mandible on each side, passing below the ear coverts, and all the 

 lower parts, except the chin and throat, rufescent fawn, or dull ferruginous, 

 lores and sides of head including a broad stripe over each eye, and a narrower 

 one underneath, uniting behind and running back past the nape, glossy black ; 

 ear coverts fawn colour with black mixed ; back grey with an olivaceous 

 tinge, epulis and wing coverts dark brown with slightly paler edgings exter- 

 nally, the quills with whitish inner margins ; lower wing coverts paler fawn 

 than the breast. Tail brown, the central rectrices darker on the inner web, 

 the three inner pairs with bluish grey edges, the three outer pairs with the 

 terminal hah or rather more of the outer web whitish, and a small portion 

 of the inner web near the tip. Chin dusky black, throat and centre of 

 foreneck silky white, mixed with black. Iris yellow, (not brown as stated 

 by Hodgson), legs yellowish brown, bill black. Length taken before skinning 

 45 inches, wing2 - 25, tail 2*1, tarsus - 7, bill from forehead 0*28 inch. 



I met with this bird but twice. On the first occasion a flock of 20 

 or 30 were hunting about on birch and pine trees at about 10,000 feet near 

 Lachung ; on the second occasion a smaller flock were similarly occupied at 

 about 9,000 feet in the Lachen valley. It is probably only found in the 

 pine forests of Northern Nipal and Sikkim. 



But for Gould's figure in the Birds of Asia, it would be difficult to 

 recognise this bird. 



