144 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. vi. 



loose mould with beak and claws, and picking out the 

 minute white larvae with which it was infested. 



In the natural state their principal food consists of the 

 larvae of Laverna pkragmitella, which commence to burrow 

 into the reed-mace during August, and remain there all 

 the winter, causing the " poker " to burst out and become 

 fluffy. They also feed upon another grub which burrows 

 into the reed-stalks. The fact that these frail-looking 

 birds can endure the rigours of a Broadland winter, tends 

 to prove that their diet must be a catholic one ; yet their 

 numbers are undoubtedly lessened by a spell of hard 

 weather, for the actual pairs of breeding birds in any given 

 area are considerably reduced after a severe winter. An 

 unkind spring too, will work havoc amongst the newly- 

 fledged Bearded Tits. On May 5th, 1910, I came upon 

 fifteen .young birds, dotted around the edge of a little 

 inland lagoon which was surrounded by a stubbly fringe 

 of reeds. A narrow dyke ran alongside and by holding 

 on to the vegetation I edged my canoe close to the birds 

 and watched. The air was full of the hum of insect life, 

 and scores of delicate winged flies were seized by the 

 busy parents for their respective broods ; which, by the 

 bye, were not clamorous as are the young of so many other 

 species, but appear quite contentedly to await their turn. 

 Up in the blue sky Redshanks were whistling, while Lap- 

 wings called to one another or hurled themselves towards 

 the earth and rose again in an ecstasy of love and madness ; 

 Snipe bleated dreamily, and peace reigned. Suddenly 

 the hitherto brilliant sun became overclouded, the wind 

 arose, and away over the broad there came a sound of 

 lashing hail upon the open water. In two minutes I Avas 

 back in my house-boat behind closed doors ; while less 

 than twenty minutes later my man was shovelling away 

 ice from the stern-sheets before the doors could be opened. 

 I cannot tell what became of the young Bearded Tits. 

 It seems to me that such sudden changes of temperature, 

 together with the tremendous downpour of stinging hail- 

 buUets, must surely destroy numbers of half-grown birds. 



