PARUS. 
blacker on their inner barbs; the mid-quills are edged with 
white, as well as the large and middle coverts, which are 
the blacked: 'parts of the wing. The tail, except the 
white fringe which borders all the feathers of it at the 
tip, and a white line along the outermoft feather on each 
tide, (which alfo are fomewhat Ihorter than the red:,) is 
dark brown, as are the upper coverts of the fame. The 
flanks, lower belly, and under tail-coverts, are of a beau¬ 
tiful rufous grey. The bill is black ; eyes and nails 
brow n ; the feet are lead-colour. The wings, when at 
red, reach about half-way the tail. The female is fome¬ 
what fmaller than the male, but fo like that it is impcfli- 
ble to diflinguilh them. 
36. Parus albagena, the white-cheeked titmoufe : this 
was given to Vaillant by M. Temminck of Amderdam, 
who received it from Batavia. It is about the fize of the 
preceding, and fhaped like the blue titmoufe. The top 
of the head is black, as is the back of the neck, below 
w hich appears a fmall patch of white; from the corner of 
the mouth proceeds a white patch which covers the 
cheek, but reaches no farther than the ear, which it 
fpreads over. The throat, front of the neck, and bread, 
are black; which black, indead of widening as in the 
preceding fpecies, grows narrower from the lower part 
of the neck before, where it joins on the fides the black 
of the hind-head, and terminates at the belly. The fca- 
pulars, mantle, back, 2nd upper tail-coverts, are of a 
bluilh-grey ; the fame colour runs along the edges of the 
wing-quills, which are black; the larger wung-coverts 
are edged and broadly tipped with white. The three la¬ 
teral tail-feathers on each fide are white, and graduated 
or tapered, i.e. the outer is the Ihorteft, and the two 
others fucceflively longer; the red of the feathers are 
entirely black. The fides, belly, and under tail-coverts, 
are whitifli. The bill is brown grey ; the claws black, 
the feet lead-colour. The wings when at red extend 
about one-third the length of the tail. Its habits are 
not known. 
37. Parus dubius, the black-cap : this and the follow¬ 
ing were received by Vaillant from Ceylon. They re¬ 
ferable in fome refpedls the titmice; but he fays do not 
properly belong to that genus. The bill is nearly of the 
fame drape, but longer in proportion. The tongue is 
entire, cartilaginous, and pointed; difl'erent therefore 
from that of the titmoufe, which is truncated, and ends 
in four points. The legs are not fo large, the claws 
weaker, the nails not fo hooked ; which denote difl’erent 
habits. The bones of the head are not fo flrong, the head 
not fo round, the forehead flatter. In other refpedts the 
drape of the body, wings, and tail, and the flze alfo, agree 
nearly with the P. major, or great titmoufe: but the 
wings are not fo long, for on the black-cap they hardly 
exceed the fetting-on of the tail. The head is entirely 
black ; the reft of the upper furface, including the wings 
and tail, is olive-green, inclining to yellow on the rump ; 
the lateral tail-quills are fpotted with white at their extre¬ 
mities. The throat, front of the neck, and the whole 
of the under parts, are yellow; the bill is blackifh, legs 
and feet brown. 
As thefe were dried fpecimens which Vaillant received, 
he can fpeak no further but upon conjedlure. The eyes 
he ima gines were brown; the food, infedis only. He de- 
fcribes and figures another individual, which he fuppofes 
to have been the female of this fpecies, or at leaft a va¬ 
riety. It was fomewhat fmaller, and the colours lighter; 
the head tan-colour; the upper furface of the body, 
wings, and tail, dun-colour, with various lhades of yel¬ 
low ; the tail tipped with white; the under parts of the 
body delicate pale yellow ; bill, legs, and feet, brownifh. 
38. Parus quadricolor, the four-coloured titmoufe : 
this differs ftill more from the titmice; the bill being 
longer and thinner than in the laft; in this refpedt it 
makes a nearer approach to the Motacilla, or warbler; 
yet it has not the weak flender body and long legs of 
thefe ; the legs are fhort, and toes thick, like the titmice. 
6 
727 
Its habits are not known, Vaillant having received it 
from Columbo, the chief town of Ceylon ; but he pre¬ 
fumes that it feeds on infefls like the preceding. In fize 
it is fomewhat fmaller than the great titmoufe. The top 
of the head and hind part of the neck are entirely covered 
with a black capuchin, which covers the eyes alfo; the 
back and fcapulars are grafs-green. The wing-quills are 
black, edged with yellow; the great and middle coverts 
fringed with white at the extremities. The tail is alfo 
black, and outwardly edged with yellow ; the feathers 
of an equal length. The throat, front of the neck, 
bread, fides, and under tail-coverts, are of a beautiful 
jonquil-yellow, melting into green towards the legs and 
lower-belly. The bill is almoft entirely black, only the 
fliarp edges of the mandibles are yellovvilh; the nails are 
black, the feet brown. Though a doubtful fpecies, we 
have added it to our Plate, on account of its beauty : fee 
fig. 4. 
The female is fomewhat fmaller. The top of the head, 
back of the neck, mantle, fcapulars, rump, and tail, are 
olive-green; and all the front of the body', from the 
throat to the under tail-coverts, is of a fainter yellow than 
in the male. The yellow edging of the wing-quills is 
broader ; but the white on the tips is not fo pure, being 
fliaded with olive. This (female) Vaillant afferts to be 
the bird defcribed by Brilfon under the name of figuier 
du Bcvgulc, our Motacilla tiphia, or green Indian wag¬ 
tail, vol. xvi. p. 85. The fpecies might occur at Ceylon 
as well as at Bengal. Klein has defcribed the fame, N° 
17. p. 75. and Edwards, vol. ii. Plate 79. See Vaillant’s 
Hift. Nat. des Oifeaux d’Afrique, tome iii. p. J 53-197. 
PARU'SHA, a name applied by the Hindoos to feveral 
of their deities. The word feems to mean “the prime¬ 
val perfon, or man;” and in fome fables it is related that 
he was produced by the Creator at the formation of the 
world, with Prakriti, a perfonification of Nature. The 
allegorical union of thefe two powers, male and female, 
has furnilhed endlefs fancies for Hindoo metaphyficians, 
who, among fuch fancies, defcribe an allegorical immo¬ 
lation of this primeval being; fometimes making Parulha 
the vidlinr; fometimes Brahma, or Narayana. In the 
Veda called Yajur, or Yajufh, the neceffary ceremonies 
for the facrifices called Afvvamedha and Purufhamedha, 
are laid dowm ; but they are not, as the words imply, 
really facrifices of horfesand men. In the firftmentioned, 
609 animals of various kinds, domeftic and wild, includ¬ 
ing birds, filh, and reptiles, are made faft ; the tame ones 
to twenty-one polls, and the wild ones in the intervals 
between them ; and, after certain prayers, the vidfims are 
let loofe without injury. In the other, a hundred and 
eighty-five men of various fpecified tribes, characters, 
and profeifions, are bound to eleven polls; and, after a 
certain hymn concerning the allegorical immolation of 
Narayana has been recited, thefe human victims are libe¬ 
rated unhurt; and oblations of butter are made on the 
facrificial fire. This mode of performing the Afwamedha 
and Purulhamedha as emblematical ceremonies, not as 
real facrifices, is taught in this Veda'; and the interpre¬ 
tation is fully confirmed by feveral rituals, and by com¬ 
mentators, one of whom afligns as a reafon, “ becaufe 
the flelh of victims, which have been actually facrificed, 
mull be eaten by the perfons who offer the facrifice : but 
a man cannot be allowed, much lefs required, to eat hu¬ 
man flelh.” This paffage is cited by Mr. Colebroke from 
memory : he adds, “ It may be hence inferred, or con¬ 
jectured at leaft, that human facrifices were not autho¬ 
rized by the Veda itfelf; but were either then abrogated 
and an emblematical ceremony fubftituted in its place, 
or they mull have been introduced in later times on the 
authority of certain Puranas and Tantras, fabricated by 
perfons, who in this, as in other matters, eftablilhed 
many unjullifiable practices on the foundation of emblems 
and allegories which they mifunderftood.” Af. Ref. vol. 
viii. p. 437. 
PARU'TA (Paolo), a noble Venetian, known as a 
writer 
