THE TITMICE. 195 



at Great IJeav lake about the close of !May, wlien the .spring thaw lias exposed the berries 

 of the .Vlpiiie arbutus and other plants ■which have been frozen in during the winter. Dr. 

 Richardson also mentions thai he observed a large flock, consisting of, at least, three or 

 four hundred, on the banks of the Saskarchewan, in May 1827. They alighted in a 

 grove of poplars, settling on one or two trees, and nialdng a loud twittering noise. They 

 stayed only about an hour in the morning, and were too sly to allow him to approach 

 within gimshot. 



THE TITjMICE.* 



The genus j)arus, under which the titmice arc classed, contains various species. They 

 are rcniarkablo for the beautiful colours of their plumage, while the markings are very 

 nicely delincd. Alwajs acti\e, these birds attract the attention of the intelligent 

 observer, as, ardently engaged in the pursuit of food, they climb the trunks of trees, or 

 hang suspended from the mider surface of its branches, intent on the examination of any 

 ca\ity, bud, or leaf. 



The one placed first in the series is the Great TIt,t being the largest in size. This bird 

 does not migrate, but remains in the same district thiougliout the year. It Is adapted, 

 too, to gi'cat diversity of climate, as it is found in the genial region of Italy and in the 

 severe one of Russia. In England, however, it inhabits woods, the neighbourhood of 

 gardens and other enclosed spots in summer, and in winter it approaches the dwellings 

 of men. It forms a nest of moss, which it lines with hair and feathers, and places It in 

 the hole of a wall, or the hollow of a tree. It sometimes chooses the deserted abode of a 

 crow or a magpie. The eggs vary fiom six to nine in number ; they are white, spotted 

 and speckled with pale red. 



THE BLUE TIT.J 



This bird, often called the Tomtit, would be much more admired for its beauty Avcre it 

 less common. Its length is about four inches and a half. The bUl Is dusky ; the irldes 

 dark hazel ; the forehead and checks white, the white extending backwards in a baud 

 over the eyes ; the crown of the head azure blue. The nape of the neck has a blue baud 

 which, passing forward on each side under the cheeks, joins a patch of blackish blue 

 colour which descends from the chiu over the throat. The wings and tail arc of a pale 

 blue ; the legs, toes, and claws are of a bluish black. 



" The bill of this bird," says a naturalist, " though short, Is exceedingly strong; and 

 from the active Industry of its habits, I have little doubt that when it cannot find a hole 

 suitable for its nest, it either hews out one or enlarges it to its mind. In one of these 

 nests, which I lately examined, in the hole of an oak at Shooter's-hill, In Kent, the 

 wood, which was indeed decayed and soft, had evidently been cut away so as to give an 

 upward winding entrance to the nest ; and I have remarked a similar winding, cither 

 upwards or on one side, in the nests of this bird built in old stone walls, mortar or small 

 stones having, probably, been removed with this design. The power of its blU in such 

 cases I had an opportunity of witnessing. In one which was kept in a cage. In a 

 common Avirc'cage it could not be confined for manj' minutes, as it always warped the 

 wires aside, first with its bill, and then with its body, till it got out ; but It did not find 

 it so easy to escape from a cage made with netted wax thread, upon finding \\hich 

 unmanageable, it attacked the wood-work, and into one of the dovetailings of this it 

 thrust its bill, acting with it in the manner of a wedge. It M'as unsuccessful, indeed. In 

 unhinging this, but I have no doubt that half the force and skill it exhibited woidd have 

 proved sufficient to hew out a nest-hole in a decayed tree." 



* Panis. t Pavus Major. \ Parus Ctcruleus. 



o 2 



