THE TITS. 13 
again. Care should be taken that they do not stow away 
enough of their food to let it get offensive ; for they are of 
provident habits and will hide away scraps as readily as a 
dog. Worthless objects are also secreted with care ; a pair 
of Blue Magpies at the Calcutta Zoosome years ago used 
to amuse us much by their methodical way of folding 
pieces of paper and putting them away. 
THE TITS. 
The Tits are now-a-days classed near the Crows, and in 
many of their habits may be called Jays in miniature. 
They resemble Jays in shape, though not so big as Spar- 
rows ; male and female are alike, and the young only a 
little duller; and the nostrils are covered at the root 
with bristles, as in the Crows. Tits are as omnivorous in 
their way as Crows are, and have the same tricks of hold- 
ing down their food with their feet, and of storing away 
superfluities. But they usually build in holes, unlike 
most of the Crow tribe. Most of the Tits in India are 
hill-birds, and will be recognized as a group by many 
people, the family being so familar at home. Almost 
all the species are different, however; here there is only 
room to allude to two. 
Tue YeELLOw-cHEEKED Tit (Machlolophus sxaniho- 
genys) is a thick-set little bird about five inches long with 
a full crest, black throat, and yellow face and breast, 
the latter marked with a black central streak ; the back 
is olive-green and the wings and tail slaty-grey. 
This bird is found throughout the Himalayas at mod- 
erate elevations and breeds in April and May, laying 
four or five red-spotted white eggs in a hole. It is the 
