142 



111 food it is strict!}' insectivorous, and in confinement 

 it really requires to be fed nearh^ entirely on live 

 insects, so that the proper feeding of a Long-tailed 

 Tit in captivity entails such trouble as to be almost a 

 matter of impossibility. The stock food which I have 

 alwa3's used for these birds, and with which I have 

 achieved a fair amount of success, is a mixture of 

 the very best ants' eggs (steamed over boiling water), 

 dried flies,, yolk of egg, and chopped cream cheese. 

 The latter may appear a curious item of food for 

 insectivorous birds, but I have on numbeiless 

 occasions proved its great value in this and similar 

 connections, and I believe I am one of the very few 

 who have ever successfully "cage-moulted" I/Ong- 

 tailed Tits. They soon become very tame, and make 

 delightful pets, this being naturally brought about by 

 the necessit}^ mentioned of giving them live insects 

 from the fingers, as, no matter what food ma\^ be 

 supplied to them in the hoppers, the}' will soon die 

 unless supplied with live spiders, houseflies, and other 

 insects. 



It maybe useful to point out to would-be exhibi- 

 tors of the Long-tailed Tit in British Classes, that the 

 bird they are most likeh- to be offered by dealers is the 

 continental form, Acredula caicdata, and that if the}' 

 show this latter bird under a competent judge of 

 British birds they will meet with certain disqualifica- 

 tion. The continental bird has a nearly entirely 

 whitehead, and is brighter generally in plumage than 

 its British relative, although in the matter of white 

 markings even our British birds differ with the 

 seasons, the white being considerably purer in the 

 summer than at other times of the year. 



The Long-tailed Tit is fiiirh- frequent throughout 

 Great Britain and Ireland, but is not so partial as most 

 of the other Tits to the neighbourhood of houses, 

 keeping mostly to the woods and coppices. Its nest 



