TITMOUSE. 267 



black ; belly dirty white ; quills brown ; tail black ; the outer web 

 of the exterior feather white; the next to it tipped with white; legs 

 black. 



Inhabits the Cape of Good Hope. — Sir J. Banks. Also India. — 

 Lady Impey. M. Levaillant* doubts this bird ever having been 

 brought from the Cape of Good Hope, because he did not find it 

 there; and, although he professes never to have seen it, even suspects 

 its not being a Titmouse at all. D'Entrecasteaux observed it ex- 

 tracting the saccharine juice, which exudes from the glands of the 

 Corolla of the Agave Vivipara, with admirable dexterity.f 



24— BLACK TITMOUSE. 



La Mesange noire, Levail. Afr. iii. 162. pi. 137. 1. 2, 



SIZE of our Great Titmouse. Bill black ; irides deep brown ; 

 general colour of the plumage deep black, except some traces of 

 white on the wings and tail ; the two middle feathers of the latter 

 are wholly black, the others the same, with the outer border, and 

 round the ends white, having most white on the outer ones, which 

 are a trifle the shortest; wing coverts and quills bordered with white, 

 but most on the former, giving the appearance of a white stripe; the 

 greater coverts entirely white, making a sort of black and white 

 chequering ; legs lead-colour. 



The female is smaller, with the colours less deep, though black ; 

 and the under tail coverts white. Young birds have the edges of 

 the feathers rufous; the black on the body greatly inclining to brown, 

 and the under parts to grey ; the wing, when closed, reaches to 

 about one-third on the tail. 



Inhabits the interior of the Cape of Good Hope ; found chiefly 

 on the borders of the River Sondag, Swarte Kop, and Caflre Country ; 



* Afr. iii. p. 169. f The shape of the tongue is not known, but from this last 



account of the manners, it may belong to the Honey-eaters. 



M m2 



