i6o The Blue-Tit. 



out of a nest out of curiosit}', and then replaced them. I should, therefore, regard 

 a Blue-Tit which laid twelve eggs as a phenomenon of fecundity, and one reported 

 as laying eighteen as a myth. 



In colouring the eggs are snow-white, with the usual pink transparent glow 

 when freshly deposited : in spotting they differ not a little ; some eggs at first 

 sight appearing to be immaculate, but when closely examined revealing numerous 

 dust-like specks of light red and dark grey, principally confined to the larger end; 

 a second variety is prett}- evenly sprinkled all o\er with rust-red dots ; a third 

 form shows larger spots scattered amongst the smaller markings ; a fourth differs 

 from the latter in the presence of splashes of red at the larger end; finally I have 

 taken specimens in which gre}- and red-brown spots are massed into a dark zonal 

 patch at the larger end. Some of the eggs which I have found, excepting that 

 they are perhaps a trifle longer, could not be distinguished from those of the 

 Willow-Warbler ; and others, excepting that they are a size smaller, might easily 

 be mistaken for those of the Wren. It is not therefore safe to identify eggs of 

 this species, unless you have taken them 3'ourself ; and, on no account should the 

 statements of peasants be credited for a moment ; since they almost invariably 

 confound the Blue-Tit and the Wren. 



There is never an}- difficult}- in identifying the eggs of Tits which one takes, 

 because the mother bird is usually in the nest and never far awa}': many a time 

 in spite of her hissing and pecking I have lifted her off her eggs and held her 

 in one hand whilst I examined the collection to see wdiether it was in condition 

 for preservation or too far incubated : if the latter, I had onl}- to open my hand 

 to see her at once return to her dut}-. 



I know of no other bird which sits so closely as the Blue-Tit: in my "Hand- 

 book of British Oology," I have recorded the fact that on the 27th June, 1881, 

 I found the nest of this species in a cavit}- left b}- the removal of a brick in an 

 outhouse, where the gardener of the place kept his tools. The nest, when I 

 discovered it, contained four eggs onl\- ; perhaps it was the last effort for the 

 season, for no more were laid. Each da}- I took one egg, but substituted a marble 

 for the last one, on w-hich the Tit was contented to sit ; after three or four da3-s 

 I removed the marble, and, a da}' or two later, the nest : what then w-as my 

 astonishment, about two days afterwards, to find the stupid bird still squatting in 

 the hole in the wall ; she had the sitting fever on her and meant to sit it out ! 



In June, 1889, a nest of ten young Blue-Tits was sent to me, one of which 

 unhappily came to hand with a broken leg : instead of nipping off the swinging 

 tarsus with a sharp pair of scissors (as I ought to have done) I bound up the 

 limb with worsted, the poor little mite looking up in my face all the time, and 



