TITS, WRENS, WAGTAILS, SHRIKES, ETC. 



393 



The Crested 

 Tit. 



V^Ticn in search of food, which consists ]>rin- 

 cipally of insects, this bird is most amusing in 

 its actions, often assuming the most grotesque 

 positions, hanging beneath the branches up- 

 side down and in various other attitudes, 

 searching with most critical eye every possiljle 

 hiding place that could shelter its prey. 



This bird is perfectly safe if placed in the 

 aviary, as it is not dangerous to the other birds. 

 When first caught it should be placed in a .cage 

 for a few days, and fed upon live insects and 

 gentles, and gradually meated off on to the 

 diet recommended for the other Tits, when it 

 may be turned into the aviary. Care must be 

 taken that it does not get too fat through too 

 much indulgence, or it is apt to go off in a fit. 

 The Blue Tit, when once steadied, is a most 

 attractive bird for exhibition purposes ; but 

 it must be allowed no hiding place in the show 

 cage, or all that will be seen of it most of the 

 time will be its head bobbing in and out. .\ 

 cage such as advised for the Long-tailed Tit 

 answers well for this bird. 



The Crested Tit, Parus cristalus (Linn.), is 

 a very scarce bird in England, though often 

 found in the pine forests in 

 Scotland. The general colour is 

 olive-brown, with wings and 

 tail of ashy brown. As the name indicates, 

 it has a crest or tuft of extra long feathers on 

 the head, the longest of which are inclined to 

 curve forward in an upward direction. The 

 crest is black, edged with white ; the throat, 

 under part of breast, and a narrow collar to the 

 occiput are black, enclosing a white space in 

 the region of the eyes and on the side of the 

 neck. The under-parts are light, tinged with 

 yellowish-brown. As it is a very pretty bird, 

 it is a desirable addition to an aviary of Tits, 

 and it will feed upon the general food recom- 

 mended for them. Several specimens have been 

 exhibited from time to time ; but all were said 

 to have been imported from the Continent, 

 where it is fairly common. The same cages as 

 for other Tits answer for this bird. 



The Golden-crested Wren, Regulus cristalus 



(Newton), is the smallest of all British birds. 



and is resident throughout 



The Golden= ^j^^ British Isles, chieflv frc- 



crestedWren. ■• , • , i" » i 



quenting the districts planted 



with pines. These trees afford it not only 

 shelter but an abundance of food in the great 

 varieties of insects which frequent their shoots 

 and cones. It is jiarticularly fond of the insect 

 pest eriosoma, which infests the silver firs, and 

 't is owing to this bird's energy that the pest 

 is kept in check. Golden-crested Wrens breed 

 as early as April, and their nest is usually sus- 

 pended hammock fashion from a branch of a 

 fir, pine, or other tree. It is a beautiful struc- 



50 



ture of green moss interwoven with horse-hair, 

 the nest being laced to the branch and foliage 

 with the hair and a few fine grasses. The inside 

 is warmly lined with soft feathers ; the entrance 

 is at the side, the top being domed over. 



The number of Gold Crests is sometimes 

 largely augmented by migrants from the 

 Continent during the autumn. The Golden- 

 crested Wren is only 3i inches in length, and 

 is exceedingly beautiful. The neck and back 

 have a greenish tint shading to a yellowish- 

 green on the rump ; the crown of the head is 

 a patch of reddish-orange shading to gamboge 

 yellow at the front and sides ; on each side 

 of this runs a deep band of black setting off 

 as it were a beautiful ornament ; around the 

 eye is a pale dusky ring, encircled by another 

 of dull white. The wing coverts are like the 

 back ; the remainder of the wing running to 

 a blackish-brown, double-barred with v>hite, 

 and edged with greenish-yellow on the pinion 

 feathers ; the tail is brownish-black with the 

 outer web of feathers edged with wax yellow ; 

 the under parts are whitish-grey, darkened on 

 the breast and tinged with brown and yellow, 

 running to greenish-olive on the flanks. The 

 patch on the crown of the head is paler in the 

 female — it has not the rich orange tint — and 

 the body a duller green. Very fine illustra- 

 tions of these birds are given in our coloured 

 ])late, and on page 168. In their movements 

 and ways they have much in common with 

 the Tits, in fact they unite with them in small 

 social parties during the winter months, travel- 

 ling from tree to tree in search of food together. 

 The song, though weak, is decidedly superior 

 to that of the Tits. As a cage pet or for ex- 

 hibition purposes the Golden-crested Wren 

 seems to be sadly neglected, perhaps under the 

 impression that it will not repay the trouble 

 the nature of their food necessitates. Its 

 habits are extremely interesting in captivity, 

 and especially as a cage pet. It is inclined to 

 feel the cold largely owing to the limited space 

 for exercise, and, therefore, cosy, though not 

 necessarily warm quarters are required for the 

 l)ird's general comfort. With ordinary care 

 and proper food it is not so difficult to keep 

 as is generally supposed. 



Mr. S. H. -Mays, of Wansford, Northants, a 

 well-known exhibitor and judge, has one of 

 these birds, and writes : " This bird I have 

 now had for over five years ; it was not hand- 

 reared, but caught late in the r.utumn, a fully 

 matured adult, and must then have been at 

 least three years old. The full colour and size 

 of crest are not acquired until that age, and 

 these were fully developed, so my bird must 

 now be at least eight years old. I have never 

 experienced the least trouble to keep it in 



