MARSH-TIT, 479 
succession, tay, tay, tay, tay; and by following the sound you may trace 
the rapidity with which the bird flits from tree to tree, probably calling for 
its mate. At other times a much lower and still more plaintive wee, wee, 
is heard. In spring I have heard it utter a loud ¢i-ted’, ti-ted’, something 
like the still louder note of the Great Tit, which I always fancy is an 
imitation of a rusty-axled wheelbarrow creaking as it is trundled along. 
Its song is a very simple sis, sis, sis, see, scarcely deserving to be called 
a song at all. 
In most parts of its range the Marsh-Tit is a resident; but in autumn 
these birds wander about considerably, and I have frequently noticed that 
in some localities they suddenly become common for a few weeks and then 
disappear. In Norfolk it is said that in autumn an arrival of Marsh-Tits 
from the continent has been observed ; and this is confirmed by the appear- 
ance of these birds on Heligoland. Of all the British Tits the Marsh-Tit 
is apparently the most hardy. Its range continues considerably further 
north than any of the rest, and, indeed, than any of the Palearctic Tits, 
with the single exception of the Lapp Tit. Like most of the other species 
of this family, it is a very sociable bird, except perhaps during the breeding- 
season. In this country I have generally seen it in company with the Blue 
Tit and the Great Tit. In the south of France it often joined a party of 
Goldcrests ; and in Siberia it was in the same flock as the Lapp Tit and 
the Nuthatch. The tendency of birds to flock together when food is scarce 
is almost universal, and probably is of great service, especially in countries 
where the winters are severe, not only in discovering supplies of food, but 
also in giving timely notice of the approach of danger. 
The Marsh-Tit may almost be said to be omnivorous; nothing comes amiss 
toit. In winter you may easily obtain an opportunity of watching its habits 
in frosty weather by hanging up a bone, or a lump of suet, or even a tallow 
candle in the garden. It is very fond of seeds of all kinds; and scarcely 
any sort of fruit, soft or hard, is neglected ; but perhaps, on the whole, 
this bird is chiefly imsectivorous. 
I have always found the nest of the Marsh-Tit in a hole in a tree, 
generally near the ground, and almost always in such a narrow hole that 
it was necessary to use a wire to draw out the eggs with part of the nest. 
Many other situations, however, are on record. It has repeatedly been 
observed to excavate a hole for itself im a decayed tree, the entrance being 
then as round as the hole of a Woodpecker, and small in proportion to the 
size of the bird. Occasionally it breeds in a pollard willow, and has even 
been known to build in a rabbit-burrow or an old rat’s hole. The inside 
of the hole, if too deep, is filled up with bits of wood or small twigs, and 
upon this foundation a moderately neat nest is composed of moss, wool, 
hair, and any other soft material that may be within reach, Fresh eggs 
may be found in May ; and it is said that a second brood is often reared. 
