BLUE TIT. 203 
—the destroyer of their species, chasing him in the same way 
that Swallows do; as also Magpies, Thrushes, and any other 
suspicious characters; and the Owl they are particularly in- 
veterate against. They bite severely if caught, and the hen 
bird in like manner will attack any one who molests her 
when sitting, in the discharge of which duty she is so devoted, 
that she will sometimes suffer herself to be taken off the 
nest with the hand; otherwise, if the nest be disturbed in 
her absence, she forsakes it. One has been known to sit still 
while a part of the tree which guarded the entrance of her 
retreat was sawn off. Another, mentioned by Yarrell, which 
built in a box hung up against a house, kept in it while 
carried into the house, and did not forsake it when replaced. 
When the young are hatched, both birds become very clam- 
orous, and have even been known to fly at and attack persons 
approaching the nest. They pass most of their time in trees, 
after the manner of the other Titmice; often frequenting the 
same locality from day to day for some time, in search of 
food. ‘So nimble are they,’ say the Rev. Messrs. Matthews, 
‘in this operation, that having once alighted on the stem of 
a plant, be it ever so fragile, and though it bends from its 
perpendicular until the end almost touches the roots, the bird 
rarely quits his hold until ke finishes his examination of the 
leaves.’ They also alight on the ground, or in a stubble 
field, to pick up what they may have met with there, and cling 
with perfect ease, for the like purpose, to the smooth bark 
of a tree, a wall, or a window-frame, when they sometimes © 
tap at the window, like the familiar Redbreast, possibly looking 
at the reflection of themselves: from these habits their claws 
are often much worn. All their motions are extremely quick, 
nimble, and active. In the spring they are mostly seen in 
pairs, in the summer in families, and later on in the year, 
occasionally, in small flocks. They frequent cultivated districts, 
and are to be seen in any and every place where timber abounds, 
or hedge-rows exist, in greater or less abundance. They roost 
at night in ivy, or the holes of walls and trees, and ‘under 
the eaves of thatched places, or im any snug corner. They 
are the most familiar, and perhaps the most lively of the 
genus. In severe winters they often perish from cold. 
Mr. Thompson, of Belfast, in describing the extent to which 
these birds are capable of being tamed, speaks of one which 
‘from its familiarity and vivacity was most amusing. ‘The 
cage was covered with close netting, which it several times 
