PARUS CYPRIOTES. 



(CYPRIAN COAL TITMOUSE.) 



Parus Cypriotes, Dresser, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1887, p. 563. 



Figura unica. 

 Guillemard, Ibis, 1888, pi. ii. 



£ ad. P. britannico similis, sed dorso vix sordidiore : plaga nuebali fere obsoleta, nigro in gutture magis 

 extenso facile distinguendus : rostro nigro : pedibus plumbeis : iride saturate brunnea. 



^ juv. pileo brunnescenti-nigro, dorso vix sordidiore quam in adulto, gutture sordide fumoso-nigro : genis, 

 colli lateribus et corpore subtus albidis, cervino-citrino limbatis -. bypochondriis paullo brunnescentibus. 



Adult Male (Cyprus, May 28tb). Most nearly resembling Parus britannicus in coloration both on the 

 upper and under parts, but differs in having the nuchal patch almost obsolete, and in having the black 

 on the throat extended much further down : bill black ; legs plumbeous ; iris dark brown. Total 

 length about 4 - 2 inches, culmen 0'6, wing 2"3, tail V9, tarsus 0"75. 



Young (Cyprus, June 18th). Differs from the adult in having the crown brownish black, the throat dull 

 sooty, the white portions of the plumage washed with yellowish buff, and the flanks browner than in 

 the adult : bill brownish black ; legs dull plumbeous ; iris brown. 



The present species, which is a strongly marked insular form of Parus ater, is confined to the 

 island of Cyprus, where, as pointed out by Lord Lilford (Ibis, 1889, p. 322), it was first discovered 

 by the late Mr. Pearse in 1878, and sent to Lord Lilford, who, however, then considered it to be 

 merely a dark race of Parus ater; hence it was not described until 1887, when more specimens 

 were sent by Dr. Guillemard, and he then recognized that it was a good species, and forwarded it 

 to me to compare and describe, being himself unable to come to town for that purpose. 



The only information we bave respecting this interesting Titmouse are the notes published 

 by Dr. Guillemard, who writes (Ibis, 1888, p. 119) as follows : — "A short distance from the Kikko 

 Monastery there was a clump of pines where it was possible to obtain some little shade from a 

 sun which had by this time become unpleasantly powerful. It was while watching, gun in hand, 

 beneath these, that I first obtained a Coal Titmouse, which at once struck me by the extreme 



darkness of the plumage of the under surface This little Parus was far from plentiful, 



for I only shot four during my stay at the monastery, although I waited beneath the pines for 

 them the greater part of each morning. I never saw it at a lower elevation than this (4000 feet) 

 or anywhere except on or among the pines. On Troodos it was not uncommon, in small parties 

 of five or six, which followed each other from tree to tree, and occasionally descended to the 

 ground to feed. Its note is a feeble edition of that of Parus ater." Messrs. Unger and Kotschy 



K 2 



