THE BLUE TIT. 



149 



brave and pugnacious, and is even more quarrelsome, for 

 he will fight with birds of his own kind ; and the Great 

 Tit, if obliged to contest with him the possession of 

 a prize, retires from the field. His food, too, consists 

 principally of insects, but he is also very partial to meat. 

 This taste leads him much to the neighbourhood of houses 

 and other places where he can indulge his carnivorous 

 propensities. A dog-kennel, with its usual accompani- 

 ment of carrion, is a favourite resort, and there are 



THE BLUE TIT. 



probably few butchers' shops in country villages which 

 he does not frequently visit. A bit of bacon suspended 

 from the branch of a tree is a great attraction. He evinces 

 little fear of man, and will hunt about the trees in our 

 gardens without seeming to notice the presence of a 

 stranger. He frequently pays visits, too, to roses trained 

 against cottages, and will occasionally flutter against the 

 glass to secure a spider or gnat, that he has detected 

 while passing. His power of grasping is very great. I 



