208 BLUE TIT. 



resorted to for twelve successive years. It is said, however, 

 that if two broods are brought up in the year, two different 

 situations are chosen for the purpose: sometimes two pairs 

 will quarrel for the same situation. 



The eggs are generally seven or eight in number, but have 

 been known as few as six, and as many as sixteen, and some 

 have said even eighteen or twenty; the usual number being 

 from eight to twelve. They are of a delicate pink white, 

 more or less spotted, and most so at the larger end, with 

 clear rufous brown. 



Male; weight, under half an ounce; length, four inches and 

 a half; bill, bluish gre}^ or dusky, lighter at the edges, almost 

 black at the tip. Iris, dark brown; there is a bluish black 

 streak before and behind the eye, running, as it were, through 

 it; forehead and sides of the head, white, surrounded by a 

 collar of deep blue, which meets the streak from the eye. 

 Crown, bright blue; a wdiite band runs over the eyes, and 

 encircles the head; neck in front, greenish yellow; nape, deep 

 blue, bluish white beneath; chin, deep blue, almost black. 

 Throat, deep blue, with a stripe of the same, almost black; 

 breast, yellow; a stripe of deep blue runs down the middle 

 of it; below it is nearly white. Back, greyish blue, with a 

 tinge of green. 



The wings reach to within an inch of the end of the tail, 

 and expand to the width of seven inches and three quarters; 

 greater wing coverts, blue tipped with white, forming a band 

 across the wings; lesser wing coverts, light blue. Primaries, 

 pale blue, blackish or greyish brown on the inner webs, 

 margined with whitish; the first less than half the length of 

 the second and eighth; the fom-th and fifth about equal, and 

 longest; tlie third and sixth equal, and next in length. 

 Secondaries, bluish green, blackish brown on the inner webs; 

 tertiaries, the same, tipped with white. Tail, pale blue, slightly 

 wedged; some of the outer feathers brown on the inner webs 

 and towards the tip, the outer with its margin white; tail 

 coverts, lighter than the back, and faintly mottled with whitish. 

 Legs and toes, bluish grey; claws, brownish. 



The female resembles the male, but is a little smaller, and 

 her colours not so bright. Weight, three di'achms; the breast 

 has the blue stripe not so well defined, and less prolonged, 

 and both it and the yellow fainter and less pure. 



The young i-esemble the female, but the colours still duller, 

 and tinged with grey. Bill, fight yellowish brown; the black 



