EGGS OF BRITISH BIRDS. 211 



the whole of temperate and Southern Europe, as far east as the 

 Ural Mountains and the Caucasus. 



The Blue Tit's breeding-grounds are in well-wooded districts, 

 in gardens and orchards, near houses, in the holes of outhouses, 

 and in walls. Like all other nests built in holes, it is but a poorly 

 made structure, so loosely put together that it is difficult to 

 remove it without breaking it to pieces. The materials usually 

 selected are moss and dry grass ; and it is lined with wool, hair, 

 and great quantities of feathers. 



Many nests of the Blue Tit contain as many as twelve eggs ; 

 in other and more usual instances the number varies from five to 

 eight. The eggs are very similar in shape to those of the Great 

 Tit, and are white in ground-colour, speckled, as a rule, rather 

 faintly with light red ; they measure from 0'7 to 0'55 inch in 

 length and from 05 to 0'4'2 inch in breadth. 



THE BRITISH COAL TIT. 



(Parus britannicus.) 



Plate 53, Fig. 16. 



The Coal Tit is found pretty generally throughout the British 

 Islands in all suitable localities. The British form, P. britannicus, 

 appears to be peculiar to our islands. The European form, P. ater, 

 occasionally visits us on migration, and may interbreed with the 

 British sub-species, as intermediate forms between them can be 

 obtained. 



The nest of the Coal Tit is generally found in holes of trees 

 and stumps, but sometimes a hole in a wall will be selected. 

 Birch-woods are favourite haunts of this bird during the breeding 

 season, where the abundance of holes suitable for nesting purposes 

 is most probably the chief attraction. The nest resembles those 

 of the other Tits, and is very loosely put together. It is made of 

 dry grass, moss, in some cases thickly felted with hair, and lined 

 very warmly with feathers. 



The eggs, from five to eight or nine in number, are usually pure 

 white, spotted and freckled with light red. In some specimens 

 the spots are bold and rich in colour, chiefly massed on the large 

 end of the egg ; in others they are evenly distributed over the 



