392 



CANARIES, HYBRIDS, AND BRITISH BIRDS 



hi'tU'r still, the Ijraiicli of a fir or otlier Irrc with 

 many liou<^hs and Iwiss, they will be coiitimi 

 ally nitliiif,' from perch to ihtcIi. uttering their 

 short note the \vh le. All of the tribe are fond 

 of water and bathing. Their aviary must 

 be very finely wired, for they can cscaiK' 

 through very small holes. A good staple 

 food is composed of equal parts of ants' cocoons, 

 dried flies, line meat meal and powdered biscuit, 

 all mixed well together. Just suflicienl for the 

 day's consumption should be prepared, and 

 made crumbly moist with cold water each minn- 

 ing. Any good insectivorous food will also do. 

 and occasionally a little boileil jiolalo. scrajied 

 swede turnp, or finely minced tender heart of 

 lettuce, may be mixed with the food, giving, 

 of course, in addition live insects whenever 

 procurable. Live ants' cocoons, wasp grubs, 

 or a few gentles that have been well cleaned 

 all make a welcome change. Sunflower seeds 

 and a few shelled nuts of any description afTord 

 the birds especial pleasure, as will also picking 

 a meat bone. They are ca])able of being easily 

 tamed, and will in time eat out of the hand of 

 their feeder. The same cages and ]icrch 

 arrangement recommended for the Long-tailed 

 Tit answer well for this bird. 



The Cole Tit. Panis britunniciis (Sltdrpc and 

 Dresser), is resident throughout the Hrilish 

 Lsles, although less ])leiitiful 

 than the other British Tits, 

 except in the south of Scotland. 

 It is much smaller than the Great Tit, and is 

 not quite 4 inches in length. The general colour 

 abo\e is olive-brown, and, like the Great 'til. 

 it has a black head, a white patch on the nape, 

 white cheeks, and a black throat, the black 

 spreading on to the sides of the U|)per breast. 

 11 dillers, however, from the Great Tit in under 

 coloui-, I he breast and abdomen being greyish- 

 white, I he flanks rich liufT. I he wings and tail 

 grey. I he inner web of I he feathers being dusky 

 brown. The Cole Til is found princii)ally in 

 woods, pine woods being especially laviuired 

 spots, where it may be seen clinging m acrii- 

 balic style to a cone, exiracling its food. 11 

 also visits small ])lantalions, and is particularly 

 active and indefatigable in its search for inseels, 

 whose larvx' form ils eiiief food. The Cole Til 

 is a ])relly little a\iary pv{, and may be made 

 exceedingly lame. II does well on the same 

 bill of fare as llial for Ihe Great Til, and re- 

 quires the same cage acconunodation. 



The Marsh Tit, I'liriis paliislris (Linn.), is 

 another resident, and though nol so generally 

 distributed as Ihe i>receding 

 species, is still lo be found 

 ])lentifully in some localities, 

 which are not actually marsh and low lands, 

 with brushwood and old willow trees. The 



The Cole 

 Tit. 



The Blue 

 Tit. 



The Marsh 

 Tit. 



biril is e(|ually fond of woodlands, and may be 

 seen consorting with other Tits in these ])arts. 

 It is a lively, active Utile creature, continually 

 chirping its one solitary note; but from the 

 amount of dusky brown in its general plumage 

 it is not so striking or attractive as the Tits 

 previously mentioned. The crown of the head 

 is glossy blue-black, forming a cap, which 

 extends backwards down the nape, joining the 

 dusky brown mantle ; it has no white patch 

 like the preceding bird. The side of I he face and 

 ear coverts arc ashy white ; the chin and ujiper 

 throat black ; the under surface of l)ody ashy- 

 while ; sides and flanks pale brownish buff ; 

 wings light brown, with the outer web edged 

 wilh brownish-white ; the tail is ashy brown 

 with olive-brown margins. Vet withal the 

 Marsh Tit is a ])retty little bird, and enli\ens 

 the aviary with its continuous twittering and 

 restless aeti\ity. In its wild slate it lives 

 chiefly on insect life. In ea]>li\ily il \\ill lhri\e 

 and do well in the same cages and on the diet 

 recommended for the Great Tit. 



The Blue Tit, Pariis cnriilcus (Linn.), is 

 another well-known resident, found practic- 

 ally everywhere, cMii to the 

 far north of Scotland, and is 

 very common in Ireland, though 

 it is of a much more migratory nature than 

 others of the Tit family, \Vherever a moderate 

 pro]iortion of woody plantation or hedgerow 

 tindier exists we are almost sure to find this little 

 bird at one time or another within the limit 

 of its range, and it is a frec[uent and welcome 

 visitor to suburban gardens. It is a very diminu- 

 tive bird, being only -1^ inches in leiiglh, but 

 so common as to be little ap|)reciated, or no 

 <l(iulil its beautifully marked hluc head and 

 back, condiined with its grace and aelixily, 

 would cause il to be found in aviaries nuich 

 (dlener than is now the case. In colour il is 

 one of the most beautiful of the famil\-. The 

 general colour aboNc is light green ; Ihe crown 

 of the head is a rich blue surrounded by a band 

 of greyish-white wilh anollier hand of very dark 

 blue-black, forming from behind Ihe eyes and 

 running round the nape, wheie it exi)ands, 

 narrowing down again as it |)roceeds round the 

 cheeks on to the chin and throat. The whole 

 of Ihe cheeks and face, including the ear-coverts, 

 are greyish-while ; the wings and tail are blue, 

 beautifully tinted with lighlershades ; Ihe breast 

 and under-body are i>ale yellow, shading almost 

 to while on Ihe abdomen, and a green tint on 

 Ihe flanks, with a taini wash of blue on the 

 breast ; even I lie feel and Iocs are of a leaden 

 blue Unl. It is a striking l>ir<l for colour fidin 

 beginning to tinish. and in man\' dislricis it 

 is called the I51ue-cap. Tlic female is nol such 

 a bright colour as Ihe male. 



