156 The Marsh-Tit. 



loss to account for this, until one morning I observed a Marsh Titmouse flying 

 across the grass-plot with a white ball, almost as big as his head, on the point 

 of his bill. He looked so oddly at the moment I could scarcely at first sight 

 determine either the bird or its burthen, but as soon as he alighted on an 

 opposite tree he gave a little wrench with his beak, and dropping the husk at 

 the time, flew off" direct to the snowberry bush. The whole thing was now 

 explained, and as I watched, another Titmouse joined the first, and these 

 continued as long as I had time to wait, carrying off the berries on the ends of 

 their bills to the same tree opposite, where they opened and dropped the husks, 

 then back again for more. On picking up these husks afterwards, I found each 

 of them split open down the side, and minus the two little kidney-shaped seeds 

 that grow in either half of the white fruit." As ui}- son has one or two of these 

 shrubs in his garden next door to me, it is possible that they may account for 

 the presence of Marsh-Tits in my garden. 



The Marsh-Tit usuall}' nests in holes in trees and near to the ground, after 

 the manner of the Coal-Tit, and, like some of our other species, it has been known 

 to make a hole for itself in a decayed tree; it has also been known to build like 

 a Tree-Creeper behind loosened bark, and nests have been found in mouse or rat- 

 burrows in banks. 



Lord Lilford observes that " Both nest and eggs may easil}' be mistaken for 

 those of the more common Coal-Tit, but the present species sometimes makes use 

 of willow-down as a lining, and, so far as I know, never employs feathers for that 

 purpose. The eggs are from five to seven or eight in number." 



Seebohm says : — " Occasionalh" it breeds in a pollard willow, and has even 

 been known to build in a rabbit-burrow or an old rat's hole. The inside of the 

 hole, if too deep, is filled up with bits of wood or small twigs and upon this 

 foundation a moderately neat nest is composed of moss, wool, hair, and any other 

 soft material that maj' be within reach. Fresh eggs may be found in May ; and 

 it is said that a second brood is often reared. The number varies from five to 

 eight, and some writers say even twelve ; but no such case has ever come under 

 m_v notice. They are white with a scarcely perceptible yellowish tinge in ground- 

 colour, spotted and speckled with light red. The markings are usually most 

 numerous on the large end of the egg." 



I have not personally taken this nest; but, if it were more abundant, I 

 should expect to find that the number of eggs in a full clutch would varj' from 

 eight to ten, the former being the usual number. 



About August, 1890, a bird-catcher brought me a pair of Marsh-Tits which he 

 had caught at Beckenham in his nets. I turned these birds out with a number 



