Page:The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma (Birds Vol 1).djvu/130

98 Distribution. Garhwal, Simla Hills, into Kashmir and thence into Afghanistan.

Nidification. Whitehead (Ibis, Jan. 1909) describes the nesting of this species in the Kurram Valley, where it breeds freely in the ilex scrub between 4,000 and 8,000 feet. The nest is like that of the British Long-tailed Tit but smaller and less neat. It is made of moss and cobwebs externally, then a little green grass and finally a thick lining of feathers. The eggs seem to number from five to eight and to be very like those of the Red-headed Tit and measure 14·7 × 9·5 mm.

They breed from the end of March to early May.

Habits. In summer the White-cheeked Tit is found between 5,000 or 6,000 and 12,000 feet, but in winter descends much lower and down to some 2,000 feet. Whitehead obtained a specimen, presumably after it had bred, at Safed Koh at 1,800 feet on the 20th July.

It goes about in parties of eight or nine in scrub-jungle, continually uttering its call-note, which Whitehead syllabifies as "prit-t-t." It is sometimes found in company with Grey Tits.


 * Orites niveogularis Moore, P. Z. S., xxii, p. 140 (1855) (North India).
 * Ægithaliscus niveogularis. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 52.

Vernacular names. None recorded.

Description. Forehead and front of crown, cheeks, chin, throat and sides of neck white; lores and a very broad eye-band black; the two bands partially blending on the nape; ear-coverts hairbrown slightly streaked with whitish; hind crown and nape buffy brown; upper plumage, wing-coverts and edges of the wingfeathers ashy grey, all but the latter tinged with isabelline; tail brown, the outermost feather with the outer web white, the next two wiiite along the shaft and at the tip; lower plumage pinkish buff, divided from the white of the throat by a broad brown band.

Colours of soft parts. Bill dark slaty; legs reddish; irides pale yellowish.

Measurements. Total length about 110 mm.; wing about 64 mm.; tail about 56 mm.; tarsus about 18 mm.; culmen about 8 mm.

Distribution/ From Garhwal and Simla to Gilgit, Chitral and Baluchistan, between 6,000 and 14,000 feet.

Nidification. The eggs of this bird were first taken by Whymper in June 1905 at Dumdar, Garhwal and more recently other nests by Messrs. B. B. Osmaston and P. Dodsworth. The