BLUE TIT. 435 



common and most remarkable may be syllabled into something 

 like cMcka, chicka, chicTca, chee, chee. It places its nest in the 

 chink of a wall, or under the eaves or thatch, or in a hole in a 

 tree. It is composed externally of moss, grass, and wool, and 

 lined with hair and feathers. The eggs are numerous ; some 

 authors having made them amount to twenty, while others 

 allege that they are not more than from six to eight. Mon- 

 tagu states that he never found more than the latter number, 

 and Mr Neville Wood considers twelve as the maximum ; but, 

 on this subject I cannot speak with certainty. They are of a 

 regular oval form, averaging in length seven and a half twelfths, 

 and in breadth six, of a slightly reddish-white colour, marked 

 all over with irregular small spots of light red. The female 

 will sometimes remain on the nest even when a person intro- 

 duces his hand, which it pecks, emitting a hissing noise, and 

 the male displays much courage in defence of the young, at- 

 tacking birds of prey, magpies, thrushes, and other susj)icious 

 strollers. In these respects, it greatly resembles the Nuthatch, 

 which is closely allied to this family. 



The ordinary flight of the Blue Tit is direct and rapid, being 

 executed by continued quick flaps ; but when protracted, it is 

 somewhat undulated. 



From the habit which this species frequently exhibits of 

 clinging to walls for the purpose of seizing the insects that 

 harbour in them, its claws are sometimes much worn. A very 

 remarkable instance of this I have at present in my left hand, 

 being an individual presented to me by Mr Carfrae, in which 

 all the claws are quite abrupt or truncated, a large portion of 

 their extremities having been rubbed off. 



Mr Knap, in his justly popular Journal of a Naturalist, has 

 the following interesting notice respecting this species. " I 

 was lately exceedingly pleased in witnessing the maternal care 

 and intelligence of this bird ; for the poor thing had its young 

 ones in the hole of a wall, and the nest had been nearly all 

 drawn out of the crevice by the paw of a cat, and part of its 

 brood devoured. In revisiting its family, the bird discovered 

 a portion of it remaining, though wrapped up and hidden in 

 the tangled moss and feathers of their bed, and it then drew 



