THE BLUE TIT, ALSO CALLED TOMTIT 39 
to this the coup de grdce. His skill and discrimination in pecking 
holes in the sunniest side of ripe apples and pears are well known ; 
but to this reward for his services in destroying caterpillars he is 
justly entitled. 
The Great Tit builds its nest generally in the hole of a tree, 
employing as materials moss and leaves, and, for the lining, hair 
and feathers; but as its habits lead it to our gardens, it comes 
into close contact with human beings and becomes familiar with 
them. Hence it occasionally builds its nest in quaint places, 
which bear ever so distant a resemblance to its natural haunts. 
An unused pump affords it an excellent harbour ; and the drawer 
of an old table, left in an outhouse, has been found thus occupied. 
The notes of the Great Tit are various, but not musical. Its 
spring song must be familiar to every one; though not every one 
who hears it knows who is the musician. It consists of but two 
notes, repeated frequently, and sounding as if made by a bird 
alternately drawing in and sending out its breath ; both together 
give a fair imitation of the sharpening of a saw. Besides this, it 
indulges in a variety of chirps, twitters, and cheeps, some angry, 
some deprecatory, and some pert, which a practised ear only can 
refer to their proper author. 
THE BLUE TIT, ALSO?CALLED TOMTIT 
PARUS CG@RULEUS 
Crown of the head blue, encircled with white; cheeks white, bordered with 
dark blue; back olive-green ; wingsand tail bluish; greater coverts and 
secondaries tipped with white; breast and abdomen yellow, traversed 
by a dark blue line. Length four inches and a half; breadth seven 
inches and a half. Eggs as in the preceding, but smaller. 
Tue Blue or Tom Tit so closely resembles the Great Tit in its 
habits, that, with trifling exceptions, a description of one would 
be equally applicable to the other. Though much smaller than his 
relative, the Tom Tit is equally brave and pugnacious, and is even 
more quarrelsome, for he will fight with birds of his own kind ; 
and the Great Tit, if obliged to contest with him the possession of a 
prize, retires from the field. His food, too, consists principally 
of insects, but he is also very partial to meat. This taste leads 
him much to the neighbourhood of houses and other places where 
he can indulge his carnivorous propensities. A dog-kennel, with 
its usual accompaniment of carrion, is a favourite resort, and there 
are probably few butchers’ shops in country villages which he does 
not frequently visit. A bit of bacon suspended from the branch 
of a tree is a great attraction. He evinces little fear of man, and 
will hunt about the trees in our gardens without seeming to notice 
the presence of a stranger. He frequently pays visits, too, to 
