BEARDED TIT. yA 
stalk to the bottom, where they creep and flit, perfectly con- 
cealed from view by the closeness of the covert, and the 
resembling tints of their plumage.’ 
Nidification commences towards the end of April; one nest, 
however, was found in 1846, that spring having been very 
mild, which must have been built the latter end of March. 
The nest is placed among tufts of grass on the ground, 
and is formed of dry stalks and blossoms of grass, reeds, and 
sedge; the finer ones on the inside, and the coarser on the 
outside. 
The eggs, which are from four to six, rarely seven in 
number, are of a white or faint pink colour, irregularly 
speckled, spotted, and streaked with reddish brown, with a 
tinge of purple. 
Male; length, about six inches; bill, clear orange; the upper 
part the longest; between it and the eye and downwards 
beyond it, is a jet black moustache, ending in a point. The 
bird seems to have the power of puffing out these feathers 
when excited. Iris, clear orange; forehead, head, and neck, 
delicate grey; nape, yellowish brown, tinged with orange; 
chin, throat, and breast, pure white, sometimes tinged with 
grey, verging into yellowish or faint pink below, and on the 
sides to salmon-colour. Back, fawn-colour, as the nape. 
The wings reach to within two inches and a quarter of 
the end of the tail; greater wing coverts, fawn-colour; lesser 
wing coverts, black; primaries, dusky greyish brown, with 
narrow white outer edges; the first feather very short, the 
second and fifth equal, the third longer, the fourth the longest. 
Secondaries edged with orange brown; tertiaries, buff white 
on the inner webs, on the outer black, broadly edged with 
dark fawn-colour. The tail, which is wedge-shaped, has the 
four middle feathers fawn-colour, the outer one black at the 
base, and pgle reddish white at the end; the two next white 
on the outér webs, and pale buff on the inner, whitening 
towards the tip; the middle pair are the longest, the others 
graduated, each shorter than the other. Upper tail coverts, 
fawn-colour; under tail coverts, jet black; legs, toes, and claws, 
black. 
The female is rather less than the male. Between the bill 
and the eye is a dusky spot; the moustache is white, the 
feathers elongated as in the male. Head on the crown, 
brown, more or less dark, spotted with black on the poll; 
neck, brownish white on the sides; chin, throat, and breast, 
