94 



THE BIRDS OF ESSEX. 



Blue Tit : Farus carukus. Locally " Pick-cheese " and 

 " Blue-cap " (E. A. F.). 



A very abundant resident. 



The following is 



taken from the Chelms- 

 ford Chronicle of June 

 6th, 1884 : 



" In a hole one inch 

 in diameter in one of 

 the buffers of railway 

 carnage No. 79, the 

 property of the Great 

 Eastern Railway Com- 

 pany, which makes 

 daily excursions be- 

 tween Thorpe andClac- 

 ton-on-Sea [five miles], 

 a Tomtit has made its 

 nest, laid its eggs, and 

 is at the present sitting 

 upon them. » » * The 

 buffer * * is often in 

 violent concussion with 

 other carriages. Not- 

 withstanding this fact, 

 the bird is always to 

 be found on its nest. 

 BLUE TIT, y^. ^t the end of the day's 



work, the carriage is shunted at Thorpe for the night, and at that period the male 



bird invariably pays a visit to its mate." 



Crested Tit : Farus cristatus. 



A scarce and local resident in certain parts of Scotland, but 



only a very rare and accidental 

 straggler to England, though two or 

 three individuals are said to have been 

 either seen or killed at or near Saf- 

 fron Walden at different times in the 

 first half of the century. It is now 

 all but impossible to substantiate 

 these unsatisfactory records, which 

 must, therefore, pass for what they 

 are worth. 



Mr. Joseph Clarke relates (24) that two 



were killed at Ashdon in 1829, one of 



which was in the possession of Joseph 



Stager (?), a bird-stuffer. The late Mr. 



, ., Chater of Saffron Walden also informed 



CRESTED TIT, male, %. KT ^, , , 1 -11 J • T_' 



Mr. Clarke that one was killed m his 

 Nursery in 1844. Mr. Travis informs me that he saw one whilst walking in 

 Audley End Park many years ago. 



