114 
BIRDS. 
them. If they were taken in a new locality it would have 
possibly helped our estimation of their distribution to have 
the date and place recorded. 
50. Parus ater, L. European Cole Titmouse. 
51. Parus britannicus, Slmrpe and Dresser. English Cole Tit- 
mouse. 
Abundant and resident in the east, receiving apparently large 
additions in the winter. This tit inhabits all the patches 
of old birch-wood in the district, and breeds there, in winter, 
associating with such other birds as the blue and long- 
tailed tits, and gold crests, besides others of its own species. 
Commoner in the west than either of the two last-named 
species. Common at Tongue {auct. J. Crawford). In 1878 
we found a nest of young cole tits in a crack in a dry hill 
of peat, on a burnside near Overskaig on Loch Shin. The 
only trees, for quite a mile around, were a few birch-trees 
in a hollow on the burnside. 
Eecorded as rare in Caithness (Osborne), only two specimens 
having been obtained there subsequent to 1840, and is the 
only species of tit mentioned as occurring in Caithness 
by Mr. Osborne. They appeared again in the autumn of 
1861 at Barnyards, near Wick, and Mr. J. Sutherland, a 
few days after, found apparently the same family party of 
eight or ten birds at Harrow Park. A specimen was shortly 
after obtained by Sergeant Sandison at the same place, and 
the latter gentleman also got another from a neighbouring 
locality. Thus the species came to be added to the 
Caithness Fauna, Mr. Osborne having been indebted to Mr. 
C. Peach for bringing them under his notice. This species 
was again seen in 1862 (0. MSS., 1868). 
52. Parus palustris, L. IVIarsh Titmouse. 
[O&s. — The marsh tit is included as " not uncommon at Syre 
in the autumn of 1885 along with the blue tit" (auct 
