190 Mr. Thompson on the Birds of Ireland. 



addition to its more ordinary haunts it feeds pretty much on the 

 highways, and occasionally builds in the walls of town gardens. 



These birds are known to suffer considerably from the cold 

 of winter, and when kept in the house are also very sensible 

 to it. One in the possession of my friend at " the Falls," when 

 let out of the cage in summer roosted upon its top ; but in 

 winter, although in a warm room, selected the hottest place 

 for the night in which it could remain in safety, roosting under 

 the fender, which afforded it at the same time sufficient space 

 and shelter. This bird is from its familiarity and vivacity most 

 amusing. Its cage is covered with close netting, which it has 

 several times cut through and effected its escape into the 

 room, when it flies to the children, and if taking hold of a 

 piece of bread or cake in the hand of the youngest, will not 

 forego the object of attack, though shaken with the greatest 

 force the child can exert, and on one occasion so persecuted 

 her for a piece of apple that she ran crying out of the apart- 

 ment. It is especially fond of lump sugar. Confined in the 

 same cage with it are some other birds, and amongst them a 

 redbreast, which it has sometimes annoyed so much as to 

 bring upon its head several chastisements, but in such cases 

 the redbreast acted only on the defensive. Its favourite trick 

 is to pull the feathers out of its fellow prisoners, and by so 

 doing, it sadly tormented the young willow wren before men- 

 tioned, and made the same attempt even on a song thrush 

 lately introduced to its domicile, but by this bird it was suc- 

 cessfully repelled. It escaped out of doors several times, but 

 always returned without being sought for. The titmouse 

 often falls a victim to ignorance in this country as it does in 

 England, in consequence of the injury it is supposed to do to 

 fruit trees. Mr. Selby most justly pleads in favour of its 

 being 'a friend rather than an enemy to the horticulturist ; and 

 Mr. Knapp, treating of the species very fully in his most 

 agreeable manner, is indignant that it should in these days be 

 ranked as vermin, and a reward be offered for its head. In 

 the stomachs of two specimens killed in March and December, 

 I found coleopterous and other insects. u Blue-bonnet" is 

 the common name of this species in the north of Ireland. 



Marsh Titmouse, Parus palustris, Linn. — In Smith's 



