I04 C'RESTED TITMOUSE. 



and Russia to about 64' N. lat. ; and eastward it can be traced as 

 far as the valleys of the Don and the Volga. In (lermany, wherever 

 conifers are plentiful, and in the higher districts of France, the bird 

 is to be found in tolerable abundance ; it also breeds in Dutch 

 Brabant, principally in oak-trees, for it is by no means restricted to 

 firs ; and in the Alps, Carpathians, and other ranges of Central 

 Europe, it is generally distributed. In some parts of the Higher 

 Pyrenees I found it the most abundant of the genus ; while in the 

 south of France and in Spain it may often be observed among 

 trees close by the sea. In the latter country it breeds in the cork- 

 woods in the vicinity of Gibraltar, as well as on higher ground ; and 

 it is also common in Portugal. It is not yet known in Morocco 

 or indeed any part of North Africa, Greece, or Asia Minor. 



The nest of the Crested Titmouse is, in Scotland, generally 

 placed in the rotten stump of a fir broken off by the wind ; a hole 

 being bored in the tree, from two to eight feet above the gro\md ; 

 or in old stumps of very large trees within six inches of the soil. 

 In Germany, however, the deserted nests of Magpies, Crows, and 

 squirrels are also utiHzed ; and the bird has been seen by an excellent 

 observer to occupy nests built in bushes, apparently those of the 

 Wren and the Long-tailed Titmouse. The usual materials are moss, 

 wool and fur, felted together ; the eggs (laid in Scotland towards the 

 end of April or early m May), from 5-8 in number, are white, boldly 

 spotted and zoned with light red : average measurements "62 by '48 in. 

 Two broods are frequently produced in the season. The food of this 

 bird consists of insects and their larvae, small seeds, and berries. 

 The note is a ptur, re, re, re, ree (Seebohm). The bird is very lively 

 in its habits, flitting rapidly from one pine to another, and it may 

 often be seen during winter in company with Creepers, Golden- 

 crested Wrens and Tits. 



In the adult male the feathers of the head are dull black, broadly 

 tipped with greyish-white, and prolonged so as to form a conspicuous 

 crest ; a black streak runs from the bill, through the eye, to the 

 back of the head, whence it descends behind the cheeks, which are 

 mottled black and white ; below this a white band, followed by 

 another black crescentic line ; back and wings olive-brown ; quills 

 and tail hair-brown ; throat and upper breast black ; abdomen dull 

 white, turning to buff on the flanks ; bill black ; feet and legs lead- 

 colour. Length 4-5 in. ; wing, to the tip of the 4th and longest 

 primary, 2 "5 in. The female has a shorter crest and less black on the 

 throat ; and the young are like her, but with hardly any crest. 



