242 
shreds of bark, wool, hair, feathers, &c; and should 
it be attacked by other birds it is defended by 
the Titmouse with great energy. The eggs, about 
six in number, are of a bluish white, dotted with 
red, 
TITMOUSE, LONG-TAILED. 
Parus caupatus, Lin. 
This singular-looking bird, the most diminutive 
of our British species, except the Golden-crested 
Wren, is found throughout Europe and the colder 
parts of Asia, generally distributed in the wooded 
and cultivated districts. Its habits are similar to 
those of the other Tits, with which it occasionally 
associates ; but it differs from them in attaching its 
nest to the branches of trees. The nest is of an 
oblong form, composed of moss and lichens, lned 
with feathers, and having an aperture near the top, 
as well as at the bottom, forescape. The eggs are 
next in size to those of the Golden-crested Wren, 
and their thin white surface is generally marked 
with numerous faint red spots or dots at the larger 
end, 
