m 

 m 



ACANTHIPARUS? JOUSCHISTOS. 



Chestnut-breasted Tit. 



Pants Jouschistos, Hodgs. Gray's Zool. Misc. (1844) p. 943. — lb. in Ann. and Mag. of Nat. Hist., vol. xv. p. 326.— 

 Gray, Cat. of Spec, and Draw, of Mamm. and Birds presented to Brit. Mns. by B. H. Hodgson, Esq., 

 p. 72. — Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 192, Parus, sp. 45. — Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng., 

 vol. xiii. p. 943. — lb. Cat. of Birds in Mus. Asiat. Soc. Calcutta, p. 104. — lb. in Jard. Cont. to Orn. 

 1852, p. 51. 



Poecila jouchistos, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., p. 230, Poecila, sp. 14. 



Orites (?) jouschistos, Horsf. Cat. of Birds in Mus. East Ind. Comp., vol. i. p. 375. 





> 



The native country of this singularly coloured species of Tit is Nepaul, and most, if not all the specimens 

 that have been sent to this country have been received through the medium of Mr. Hodgson, its first 

 describer : would that this gentleman had recorded something respecting its habits and economy, as it 

 may be supposed that they are somewhat peculiar, since, in structure and colour, it differs from most of its 

 congeners ; not greatly it is true, but still sufficiently so to render it very puzzling as to which group it may 

 be properly assigned. Mr. Blyth, who has also had it under review, states, that "by its lengthened spread 

 tail, it approximates the Orites division ; " in the lengthened form of its bill, however, and in the mark on 

 the forehead, it more nearly approximates to Acanthiparus, and in that genus I have, therefore, provisionally 

 placed it. 



Judging from the examples I have had opportunities of examining, there appears to be little or no 

 difference in the colouring of the sexes. Specimens of this rare bird are contained in the collections at the 

 British Museum and the East India House. 



Forehead rusty-red, passing into pale rufous on the centre of the crown ; lores, sides of the head, and 

 nape black ; back and wings grey, the latter inclining to brown ; tail dark brown, the three outer feathers 

 margined with greyish-white, the white being gradually less extensive on the second and third than on the 

 first ; cheeks and sides of the neck reddish-chestnut ; chin black ; throat silvery-grey ; all the under surface 

 chestnut-red ; bill black ; feet reddish flesh-colour. 



The figures are of the natural size. The plant is the Roydsia suaveolem, Roxb. 





1 



i 



