catalogue of birds. 1 47 



The Great Titmouse. 



Family, ParidcB. 



This species is resident with us throughout the 

 year in woods, plantations, orchards, etc., and is 

 probably more abundant in England and Whales 

 than in Ireland or Scotland. The Great Tit attracts 

 the eye very quickly, not only from the brightness 

 of its plumage but from the very peculiar habit it 

 has when seekino- for food on the branches of a tree 

 — it invariably hangs on to the underside of the 

 branch with its powerful claws, thus presenting an 

 inverted or topsy-turvy sort of appearance ; and 

 some of the attitudes it assumes, when attacking 

 the buds of a fruit tree, especially when these are 

 at the very extremity of the branch, are very quaint. 

 Its principal food consists of insects, grubs, all sorts 

 of buds, etc. It is very fond of any large bone, either 

 beef or mutton, with just a little meat left for it to 

 pick at ; in a very short space of time you will find 

 the bone picked perfectly clean. This Tit will also 

 tackle a lump of suet. It is a decidedly ferocious 

 little bird, no bird of the same size — especially in an 

 aviary — would have any chance against it. Accord- 

 inof to Howard Saunders " the Great Titmouse will 

 attack small and weakly birds, splitting their skulls 

 with its powerful beak in order to get at their brains, 

 and it has even been known to serve a Bat in this 

 manner." I have never heard this species actually 

 sing, but it has a variety of call-notes, very metallic, 

 somethincr like the sound of a blacksmith's hammer 



