40 THE COLE TIT 
roses trained against cottages, and will occasionally flutter against 
the glass to secure a spider or gnat that he has detected while 
passing. His power of grasping is very great. I have seen him 
cling to the moulding of a window for several minutes, without 
relinquishing his hold, though the projecting surface was merely 
a smooth beading. All this while he was engaged in tearing to 
pieces the cocoon which some caterpillar had constructed in a 
crevice ; and so intent was he on his occupation, that he took no 
notice of the tenants of the room, though they were only a few 
feet distant from him. He is more frequently seen on the ground 
than either of the other species, and where it is the custom to 
throw out crumbs and the scrapings of plates, for the benefit of 
little birds, the Blue Tit rarely fails to present itself among Sparrows 
and Redbreasts. 
The Tom Tit builds its nest of moss, and lines it with hair, wool, 
and feathers. This it places in a hole, either in a wall or tree, and 
is at so great pains to combine comfort and security for its brood, 
that it has been known to excavate, in a decayed stump, a chamber 
large enough for its nest, and to carry away the chips in its beak to 
some distant place, lest, we may suppose, they should betray its re- 
treat. More frequently, however, it selects a natural hollow, as, for in- 
stance, the stump of a small tree in a hedge, of which all the inner 
part is decayed ; nor does it despise human appliances if they will 
answer its purpose ; a disused pump, a bottle, or a flower-pot, have 
all been known to serve its turn. It lays seven or eight eggs, 
but a nest containing eighteen is on record; and in defence of 
its family, shows great courage. If a nest be molested, the bird, 
instead of endeavouring to escape, retains its place and makes an 
unpleasant hissing noise, and if this be not enough to deter the 
intruder, pecks his fingers with great vigour. Hence it has received 
the popular name of‘ Billy Biter’. As a songster, it does not rank 
high: yet it has some variety of notes, which it utters in short 
snatches, expressive rather than musical, as if the bird were trying 
to talk rather than to sing. 
THE COLE TIT 
PARUS ATER 
Crown of the head, throat, and front of the neck black; cheeks and nape 
white; upper parts grey; wings bluish grey, with two white bands}; 
under parts white, tinged with grey. Length four inches and a half; 
breadth nearly eight. Eggs like the last. 
Tuis and the following species resemble each other so closely in 
size, habits, general hue and note, that at a distance it is difficult 
to distinguish them. There are, however, strong points of difference ; 
the head and neck of the present species being glossy black, with 
