9.1 



PARUS MELANOLOPHUS, rig 



Black-crested Tit. 



ors. 



Parus melanolophus, Vig. in Proc. of Comm. of Sci. and Corr. of Zool. Soc, part i. p. 22.— Gould, Cent, of Birds 

 from Him. Mount., pi. 30. fig. 2.— Jerd. in Madras Journ. of Lit. and Sci., vol. xi. p. 8— Gray and 

 Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 192.— Blyth, Journ. of Asiat. Soc. Beng., vol. xvi. p. 446— lb. Cat. 

 of Birds in Mus. Asiat. Soc. Calcutta, p. 104.— Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., p. 228.— Blyth in Jard. 

 Cont. to Orn. 1852, p. 50, pi. fig. 2.— Horsf. and Moore, Cat. of Birds in Mus. East Ind. Comp., 

 vol. i. p. 372.— Gray, Cat. of Spec, and Draw, of Mamm. and Birds pres. to Brit. Mus. by B. H. 

 Hodgson, Esq., p. 73. 



MacUolophus melanolophus, Cabanis, Mus. Hein. Oscines, p. 91, note. 



This is the least species yet discovered of that group of small Indian Tits to which M. Cabanis of Berlin 

 has given the subgeneric title of Machlolophus ; it is also one of the oldest known, having been described 

 by the late Mr. Vigors in the " Proceedings of the Committee of Science and Correspondence of the 

 Zoological Society of London," prior to its being figured in my " Century of Birds from the Himalayan 

 Mountains," which work was completed in the year 1832, now twenty-seven years ago. The large col- 

 lection of birds which came into my possession in 1830, of which it formed a part, was obtained near Simla, 

 at the foot of the Himalayas ; Capt. Boys killed it at Ramnie, and Mr. Blyth has received it from Masuri ; 

 some of the specimens at the East India House are labelled "Simla," and others "Cabul;" and Mr. 

 Hodgson states that it inhabits " Nepal, Cachar, and is rare in the central region ;" consequently the 

 Western and North-western Himalayas are the true habitats of the species. Besides the figure given in 

 my own work above-mentioned, another will be found in Sir William Jardine's " Contributions to Orni- 

 thology "for 1852. 



It will be observed that the greater and lesser wing-coverts of one of my figures have a white spot at the 

 tip of each, while in the other the spots are buff. It would be interesting to know if this difference in their 

 colouring be indicative of a difference of sex, or of maturity and immaturity. 



Crown of the head and crest glossy black ; throat and breast deep black ; cheeks and ear-coverts and a 

 spot at the nape white ; upper surface and abdomen slate-grey ; wing-coverts dark slate-grey, with a spot of 

 white at the tip of each ; wings and tail grey, the primaries margined with paler grey, and the two innermost 

 of the secondaries with a small spot of white at the tip of each ; under wing-coverts greyish white ; flanks 

 rufous ; irides dark brown ; bill black ; feet leaden grey. 



The figures are the size of life. 



