470 BRITISH BIRDS. 
of the forest ; the birch copses have an equal charm with the hedgerows, 
the garden, or the fir-plantations ; whilst in the dense shrubberies, espe- 
cially at nightfall, Blue Tits are almost sure to be found, repairing thither, 
after exploring the deciduous trees in the neighbourhood, to roost amongst 
the perennial foliage of the laurel, the yew, or the ivy. At dusk they 
become exceedingly garrulous ; and as the little party wander about through 
the dense cover they seem to disturb all the birds they meet with, if we 
may judge from the number of bird-notes one hears from all parts of the 
cover, as the noisy Tits wander through it. The Blue Tit usually roosts 
amongst ivy or in yew trees; but sometimes a whole party will fix upon 
the warm sheltered side of a haystack in which to spend the night. 
The Blue Tit is almost omnivorous. It will eat or endeavour to eat 
almost any thing, from a hard pear or even a turnip to a currant or a 
cherry, from a grain of corn to the tiny seeds of the chickweed or the 
dock. Many kinds of insects are eaten, grubs, caterpillars, beetles; and 
a small butterfly or a moth is often chased on the wing by these birds. In 
winter a bone hung out in the garden is sure to attract their attention. 
The Blue Tit is also very fond of pecking at fruit, very often being seen in 
winter on a pear or an apple that has still remained on the trees. 
The flight of the Blue Tit is performed with rapid beats of the wings, 
and is undulating and uncertain. Like its congeners, it rarely flies for 
long distances, and its movements in the air are usually confined to 
passing from one tree to another; and very often it will go the whole 
length of a wood without once engaging in a protracted flight. Its call- 
notes are harsh and rapidly repeated, resembling the syllables chicka-chicka 
chee-chee-chee, varied with a harsh churring sound almost like a hiss. It 
has no song beyond a simple s?, s?, sé. 
The Blue Tit seldom builds its nest before the first week in May. A 
little earlier the birds may be often seen pulling out bits of plaster from 
walls, and, in fact, squeezing themselves into all kinds of nooks and crannies 
likely or unlikely to afford them a site for their home. The Blue Tit’s 
breeding-grounds are in well-wooded districts, in gardens and orchards, 
near houses, in the holes of outhouses, and in walls. A favourite place for 
the nest is in an old gate-post or a pump; and the bird will return each 
year to the same spot for the purpose of rearing its young, should it be left 
unmolested. Mr. C. Bygrave Wharton has recorded two instances of this 
bird nesting in holes in the ground (‘ Zoologist,’ 1874, p. 4034, and 
1879, p. 219). Many strange situations have been chosen by this bird 
for nesting-sites. Scarcely any of the numberless biographies of the 
Blue Tit fail to give us fresh instances of its peculiar choice. As soon as 
the site is selected the nest is begun. Like all other nests built in holes, 
it is but a poorly made structure, so loosely put together that it is difficult 
to remove it without breaking it to pieces. The materials usually selected 
Maat 
