TUFTED TITMOUSE 401 



crumbs; a dish of water will also attract them. Mabel Gillespie (1930) 

 says that the berries of the Japanese honeysuckle, alder seeds, and the 

 seeds of tuliptree pods are favorite foods. 



A. L. Pickens writes to me: "They are among the friendliest of all 

 our southern birds, exceeding the Carolina chickadee by far. I have 

 taught several individuals to take food from my hand. The great 

 drawback is that they are so thrifty that they empty a food box and 

 store all the surplus food before the more backward chickadees, wrens, 

 and nuthatches arrive. For the last two forms I was able to overcome 

 this difficulty by using a block instead of a box for the food. In this 

 block I bored holes with a small auger. Then at the bottom of the holes 

 I placed bits of nuts, and the wrens and nuthatches, with their longer 

 beaks, were able to reach deeper than the titmice and so retrieve the 

 food." 



Behaznor. — This lively little titmouse is one of the most popular of 

 the southern birds, with its active, vivacious manners, as it flits about 

 in the foliage of the trees, often hanging head downward from some 

 terminal cluster of leaves, or clings to the trunks and branches, searcji- 

 ing in the crevices of the bark for its insect food. It attracts attention 

 and endears itself to us with its tame, confiding manners, as it is not 

 at all shy, but comes freely into our orchards and gardens, even close 

 to houses, and partakes of our hospitality at our feeding stations; it 

 appears utterly fearless of human presence. As Edmund W. Arthur 

 (Todd. 1940) says: 



We should probably ascribe to him without hesitation the first place in our 

 hearts. He presents many claims to the rank of first nobleman of the forest 

 realm. His presence is genial and pleasing, his plumage attractive, his alertness 

 conspicuous ; and his habits are good. * ♦ ♦ 



Each pair of tufted titmice has a domain of its own during mating season. Over 

 this the birds exercise a jealous sway, at least in so far as errant titmice are con- 

 cerned. Enter upon this domain and without too much fuss begin to whistle the 

 titm.ouse challenge. Directly you will excite vigorous replies from the lord of 

 the manor. If you persist — ^and you probably will — ^he will approach to within a 

 few feet of you. If you carry in your hand a hat or a sizable piece of dark cloth 

 or a box, his lordship seems to think you have another bird in captivity. He will 

 shake himself as if with rage, or in defiance, and drop, scolding, almost within 

 arm's length, where as long as you continue to answer him, he will remain to 

 scold and protest. 



At other times, too, these inquisitive birds show their curiosity by 

 reacting to the sound of human voices. Dr. Dickey tells me that they 

 are "seen to react to the voices and noises made by road workers, 

 drillers, and farmers. They hurry forward from shelter in twos or 

 threes. Even when a visitor calls at the door of a house and starts 



