206 



THE BLUE TITMOUSE — GKEAT TITMOUSE. 



THE BLUE TITMOUSE. 



The bill Is short and dusky. The crown of the head is of a fine 

 blue color. From the bill to the eyes there Is a black line. The fore- 

 head and checks are 



white. The back is 

 of a yellowish green ; 

 and the lower side 

 of the body yellow. 

 The wings and tail 

 are blue, the former 

 marked transversely 

 with a white bar. 

 The legs are lead- 

 colored. 



This busy little 

 bird is frequently 

 seen in our gardens 

 and orchards, where 

 its operations are 

 much dreaded by the 

 over-anxious gardener, Mho fears, lest, in pursuit of its favorite food, 

 which is often lodged in the tender buds, it may destroy them also, to 

 the injury of his future harvest: not considering that the Titmouse is 

 the means of destroying a much more dangerous euemy (the caterpillar). 



Bl.rr. TITJIOUSE. 



THE GREAT TITMOUSE. 



The Great Titmouse is common in this country, frequenting gardens, 



orchards, copses, 

 etc. During tiie 

 sjiring it is very 

 active in the cap- 

 ture of insects, but 

 in autumn and 

 winter it is forced 

 to content itself 

 with grains and 

 seeds of various 

 descriptions. 

 Gilbert White, in 

 h i s "Selhorne," 

 mentions that he 

 has seen the Gi'eat 

 Tit "while it hung 

 with its back 

 downwards, to my 

 no small delight 

 and a(hniration, 

 draw straws 

 lengthwise from 

 the ea v e s of 

 that were concealed amonir 



THE GREAT TITMOUSE. 



thatched houses^ in order to pull out the fli: 



