206 Habits and Peculiarities 



This quarrelsome propensity may be observed in most young 

 birds ; its obvious purpose being, one would think, to promote 

 their dispersion : yet this explanation cannot exactly apply to 

 the present species, as the families keep together till the 

 return of spring. It certainly was not want of space that 

 caused it, as they were confined in a very roomy cage ; and, 

 even when suffered to fly loose about the apartment, it was 

 just the same : without any apparent cause, one would often 

 follow another, and attack it. It, however, lasted only for a 

 few days, and afterwards they lived amicably together. I 

 have occasionally noticed similar and almost equally violent 

 conflicts, in spring, among the wild birds, at the period when 

 those of the preceding year are pairing. 



The power which this diminutive species has of grasping 

 with the foot is very considerable; its claws being longer, 

 and also more curved and sharp, than in the tits ; and, 

 when the individuals I have been describing were young 

 and playful, it was not uncommon to see one clinging (some- 

 times by one leg) to the long tail of another, and not to be 

 easily shaken off. They bathed less frequently than the 

 tits; but, like many other birds, were fond of sunning them- 

 selves ; that is, of extending themselves towards the sun, with 

 neck stretched out, every feather erect, and tail and sunward 

 wing spread wide. An observer, unaccustomed to the sight, 

 would fancy they were dying, or that something very bad was 

 the matter. 



As soon as they were fully able to take care of themselves, 

 I turned them into a spacious cage, containing a variety of 

 other small birds ; and here they unexpectedly found a pro- 

 tector : a tree pipit, which had been long in confinement, 

 and which I still possess, fed and tended them with all the 

 care of a parent. They had for some weeks picked up their 

 own food, but had still no objection to be fed ; and it was 

 often interesting to observe the pipit, so incongruous a species, 

 looking up anxiously at the ceaselessly active young bottletit, 

 with food in his mouth, and patiently waiting till one of them 

 could find leisure to come and take it. 



This interesting little family had now, for a time, thriven 

 so well, that I began to fancy that I should be overstocked 

 with them. Two or three of them were, accordingly, given 

 away; and soon after one of them died suddenly; then another, 

 and another, till the stock was at length reduced to four. This 

 number continued for some time, till one morning, without 

 any apparent cause, three of them were found lying dead. 

 The sole remaining one survived the others about three 



