42 THE BEARDED REEDLING 



THE CRESTED TIT 



PARUS CRISTATUS 



Feathers of the crown elongated and capable of being erected, black, edged 

 with white ; cheeks and sides of the neck white ; throat, collar, and a 

 streak across the temples black ; all the other upper parts reddish 

 brown ; lower parts white, faintly tinged with red. Length four 

 inches and three-quarters. Eggs white spotted with blood-red. 



' The Crested Tit ', is a solitary retired species, inhabiting only 

 gloomy forests, particularly those which abound with evergreens. 

 On the European Continent it is found in Denmark, Sweden, Russia, 

 Switzerland, and some parts of France. In the large pine tracts 

 in the north of Scotland, it is said to be not uncommon, and it 

 used to be found also in the neighbourhood of Glasgow, but has 

 been seldom observed in England. Its food consists of insects, berries 

 of the juniper, and seeds of evergreens. It builds its nest in hollow 

 trees, or in the deserted nests of squirrels and crows, and lays as 

 many as eight eggs 



FAMILY PANURID^ 

 THE BEARDED TITMOUSE OR REEDLING 



PANURUS BIARMICUS 



Head bluish grey ; between the bill and eye a tuft of pendant black feathers 

 prolonged into a pointed moustache ; throat and neck greyish white ; 

 breast and abdomen white, tinged with yellow and pink ; upper parts 

 light orange-brown ; wings variegated with white, black, and red ; 

 tail long, orange-brown, the outer feathers variegated with white and 

 black. In the female the moustache is of the same colour as the cheek, 

 and the grey on the head is absent. Length six inches. Eggs white, 

 with a few wavy lines of dark red. 



This pretty bird is of very local occurrence, being found in con- 

 siderable numbers in several marshy districts where reeds abound, 

 but in others being totally unknown. Their habits resemble those 

 of the true Tits, but instead of spending their lives in trees, they 

 confine themselves to the marshes, and are constantly employed 

 in running up and down the stems of the reeds, hunting for their 

 food, which consists of small molluscs (or water-snails) and the 

 seeds of the reeds. Like the Tits, too, they are sociable, always 

 being observed in pairs or families ; not congregating like Sparrows 

 for the sake of mutual protection but seemingly from the pure love 



