io6 



cause of the season. It has been observed that one 

 single pair of Blue Tits have conveyed to their young 

 in the course of one day not less than a thousand 

 grubs and insects, and there can be no doubt that the 

 insects devoured by any one bird, in a season, would 

 have done infinitely more harm, if left alive, than the 

 bird itself would effect if it lived half the 3'ear on 

 seeds and fruit. It is undoubtedly the fact that Tit- 

 mice destroy apparently sound fruit buds, but it is 

 equally certain that the birds can see more than the 

 grower, and that each of the buds so attacked is, at 

 the time, the home of a grub. However, as this is not 

 an article on agriculture, I will proceed with my sub- 

 ject . 



Counting the Bearded Tit, which is really the re- 

 presentative of a separate family, the Paniiridce, there 

 are seven different Titmice, all of which are illustrated 

 in our clever drawings by Mr. E. F. Bailey.^' 



The Blue Tit {Panis ccBruleits) is found generally 

 throughout Great Britain and Ireland, but gets scarce 

 towards the North of Scotland. It is also very widely 

 distributed, as in fact are all the Tits, throughout the 

 continent of Europe, where it is partly migratory from 

 north to south according to season. Continental re- 

 presentatives of the various species of Tits differ 

 somewhat in appearance from their British relatives, 

 and these variations make in themselves an interesting 

 study, although not coming within the scope of this 

 present paper. 



Essentially a wood-loving bird, the Blue Tit by no 

 means keeps away from human habitations ; indeed, 

 even in the suburbs of London, this sprightly little 

 feathered friend is a fairly common object in our 

 gardens. In food it is almost entirely insectivorous, 

 but in winter, when live food is scarce, it will subsist 



* The drawiug of the Bearded Tit will appear in our next issue.— Ed. 



