130 



BRITISH BIRDS. 



places. As a rule, among British birds, the inside of the 

 mouth is of a bright yellow, and this is sometimes relieved 

 by black spots upon the tong-ue and palate. In the Hedge- 

 Sparrow, for example, black spots are found upon the 



Fig. 1. — Moutli of Hedge-Sparrow, showing Spots on the "Spurs" of 

 the Tongue. (From a Photograph by Miss E. L. Tubnek.) 



tongue. In the Bearded Tit, on the other hand, these 

 spots are white on a yellow ground, and in this species, 

 furthermore, as a reference to our figure shows, these 

 spots are more numerous than in the Hedge-Sparrow, 

 occurring on the palate in the form of a rosette, as well 

 as on the tongue. 



In how many other of our native birds such markings 

 are to be fomid there is, at present, no source of infor- 

 mation save that of direct observation. The nestlino-s 



