106 COAL-TITMOUSE. 
that it seldom visits Heligoland. I have therefore treated these 
forms as climatic races. 
The Coal-Tit is a resident species in England, Wales and Ireland, 
and appears to have increased during the present century ; although 
it is still, as a rule, less numerous than the Great and Blue Tits. In 
Scotland, on the contrary, it is the commonest of the family in the 
north, and is fairly distributed, except in the Outer Hebrides, 
Orkneys and Shetlands. On the Continent the greyer-backed race 
is found in summer as far north as lat. 65°, a partial migration taking 
place in winter ; but in the central and southern portions of Europe 
the bird is generally distributed as a resident. In Algeria the 
representative is P. /edouxt, with yellow cheeks, nuchal spot and 
under parts—much like the young of our bird. In the mountains 
of Cyprus Dr. Guillemard obtained a form described by Mr. Dresser 
as P. cypriotes (Ibis 1888) ; distinguished by a tint on the back even 
browner than in British specimens, a nearly obsolete nuchal patch, 
and a greater amount of black on the throat. In the Caucasus 
occurs a larger form, P. michalowskit, intermediate in tint between 
that of our islands and the typical race of the Continent ; and under 
various other names, according as the bird increases in brightness of 
colour and length of crest, the Coal-Tit is found across Asia to 
Kamchatka, China and Japan. 
The nest, commenced in March or April, is placed in a hole in 
a tree, a crevice in a wall, a mouse’s, mole’s or rabbit’s burrow 
in a bank or the level ground, foundations of crows’ nests, &c. ; 
while Bond found one on the branch of a fir-tree, close to the bole. 
Moss and wool, rabbits’ fur, or deer’s hair and feathers, are the 
materials; the 7-11 eggs being white, spotted with light red: 
measurements ‘6 by ‘45 in. The note is decidedly more shrill than 
that of its congeners. The young are fed largely upon green cater- 
pillars, but besides these, insects, nuts and seeds are eaten. 
Adult male: crown, nape, throat, and upper breast glossy blue- 
black, with a large white nuchal spot ; cheeks and sides of the neck 
white ; back grey, tinged with olive in most British specimens ; rump 
brownish-fawn ; quills ash-brown, with dull white margins to the 
secondaries ; wing-coverts with white tips, which form two bars ; tail 
ash-brown ; breast dull white, passing into fawn on the belly and 
flanks ; bill, legs and feet dark horn-colour. Length 4°25 in.; wing 
2°4in. Female: slightly duller in colour. Young: no gloss on 
the head ; cheeks, nape-spot and under parts suffused with sulphur- 
yellow ; upper feathers tinged with olive. The white patch on the 
nape readily distinguishes the Coal-Tit from the Marsh-Tit. 
