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DESCBIPTION OF A NEW FOBM OF LONG- 

 TAILED TIT. 



By Collingwood Ingbam. 



JZgithalus caudatus taiti, subsp. n. 



Kecently, while examining the large series of Long-tailed 

 Tits in the British Museum (Natural History), I came across 

 two specimens from Portugal. These at once struck me 

 as being very dark-plumaged birds, obviously distinct from 

 JEgithalus caudatus irbii, Sharpe & Dresser, which form is gene- 

 rally supposed to inhabit the entire Iberian Peninsula. On 

 careful comparison with other geographical races, they appeared 

 to exhibit certain distinctive characters, sufficiently well pro- 

 nounced to warrant their separation as a subspecies. I propose 

 to name this Portuguese race in honour of Mr. W. C. Tait. 



They resemble M. c. irbii in having practically no rose- 

 coloured feathers on the shoulders, but the mantle is very much 

 blacker, only a few (or no) slaty feathers being apparent on the 

 back. Sides of face and pectoral band very distinctly streaked 

 with sooty blackish. 



Length of wing, 59 mm. ; tail, 80 mm. 



Hab. Coimbra, Portugal. October, 1886. 



Type in the British Museum. 



Zool. 4th ser. vol. X VII., April, 1913. 



