THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON 
of this species visit us from other areas and in nois 
bands invade the trees and gardens. Often the little 
blue mites may be watched from our windows, searching 
the chrysanthemum bushes and the tall, fast-withering 
sunflowers, or actively flitting about the trees, clinging 
in every attitude to the slender extremities of the twigs, 
and answering each other with merry twittering cries. 
Then a bone or bit of suet hung in the back garden, 
be that garden ever so small, will attract the Blue Tit 
almost without fail, and the tiny visitor will afford endless 
amusement by its nips movements as it picks a meal, 
It is one of the most nimble of birds, and may often be 
seen holding a big seed or a scrap of suet in its feet the 
better to tear it in pieces with its strong bill. ‘The way 
it will bore into an apple or a pear is astonishing. ‘The 
food of this ‘Titmouse consists of insects and larve, small 
seeds, fruit, and any unconsidered trifles of animal 
matter that come its way. In the pairing season more 
especially it may be heard to utter a string of twittering 
notes, something like chicka—chic-ka-kee-kee-kee. Its 
call-note is an oft-repeated 57-51-51, and when disturbed 
at the nest it hisses in a most alarming way. ‘The Blue 
Titmouse seems to pair for life, and will yearly return to 
nest in a certain spot. It is double-brooded, laying in 
April and June. Its nest is invariably made under cover, 
in a hole of some kind, in a tree, wall, post, stump, flower- 
pot, pump,or other singular spot, more rarely in the ground 
itself. It is a carelessly made cup of moss, dry grass, and 
leaves, matted together with wool and hair, and lined 
with feathers. ‘The six to ten eggs are white, freckled 
and spotted with light red. It is a courageous little 
creature at the nest, and will bite fiercely in defence of 
its home. 
The colours of the Blue Titmouse are distributed in a 
somewhat eccentric way. ‘The adult has the general 
colour of the upper parts from the nape yellowish green ; 
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