BIRDS OF THE WAVE AND WOODLAND 



129 



about the same size as the previous one, laid again seven eggs, 

 and reared a brood of five young, although the letters posted 

 were often found lying on the back of the sitting bird, which 

 never left the nest when the door was opened to take out the 

 letters. The 

 birds went in 

 and out by the 

 slit for the let- 

 ters on the side 

 of the box." 



Could any- 

 thing be more 

 charminof, more 

 touching, than 

 this } and does 

 any bird that 

 breathes English 

 air deserve more 

 respect for its 



delightful confidence in man, more assistance in its times 

 of stress and want, than the ereat tit ? But it is not a 

 bird that many people think of when they try to remember 

 the lovable creatures that haunt their garden. For one 

 thing, it is so restless that it seldom remains in sight 

 more than an instant, and, as often as not, its crisp bright 

 call is the only sign that we have of its presence as it 



THE TIT OF ROWFANT 



