204 BLUE TIT. 



cut through, thereby affecting its escape into the room. It 

 then flew to the chikben, and having taken hold of a piece 

 of bread or cake, in the hand of the youngest, would not 

 forego the object of attack, though shaken with the greatest 

 force the child could exert; indeed, the latter was so perse- 

 cuted on one occasion for a piece of apple, that she ran crying 

 out of the apartment. It was particularly fond of sugar. 

 Confined in the same cage with this bird were some other 

 species, and among them a Redbreast, which it sometimes 

 annoyed so much as to bring upon its head severe chastise- 

 ment. A favourite trick was to pull the feathers out of its 

 fellow-prisoners. The young Willow Wren before alluded to 

 was sadly tormented in this way. A similar attempt was 

 even made on a Song Thrush, introduced into its domicile, 

 but it was successfully repelled. This mischievous Tit escaped 

 out of doors several times, but always returned without being 

 sought for.' 



The flight of this species is rather unsteady, executed by 

 repeated flappings, and if lengthened is undulated. 



The Blue-cap seems to be omnivorous in its appetite. Its 

 principal food consists of caterpillars, spiders, moths, and other 

 insects and their eggs. In quest of these it plucks off" num- 

 berless buds, but it is at least questionable whether the 

 remedy is not even in this case far better than the disease, 

 for doubtless the insects or their eggs, which it thus destroys, 

 would eventually otherwise consume those vtiy leaves, now, 

 though prematurely, 'nipped in the bud.' 'In what evil hour, 

 and for what crime,' says Mr. Knapp, 'this poor little bird 

 could have incuiTcd the anathema of a parish, it is difficult 

 to conjecture. An item passed in one of our late churchwardens' 

 accounts, was 'for seventeen dozen of Tomtits' heads.' ' A 

 few peas are the extent of its depredations. Grain, especially 

 oats, which they hold between their claws, and pick at until 

 they twitch them from the husk, seeds and berries they like- 

 wise feast on; are fond also of animal food, and will, occasion- 

 ally, so some say, destroy other small birds. They have been 

 observed by the liev. Messrs. Matthews, to carry food — a 

 caterpillar, or an insect, to the young, three or four times 

 every ten minutes. Mr. Weir communicated to Mr, IVIacgil- 

 livray his observations on their feeding their young, from a 

 quarter-past two in the morning to half-past eight in the 

 evening, and ibund that they did so in that period, on the 

 average of the different hours, four hundred and seventy-five 



