64 BRITISH BIRDS, THEIR EGGS AND NESTs. 
vixen, and tried to make herself as-big as two by ruflling up her 
feathers, so as to frighten the owners of the ugly faces, as she 
would think, she saw at her door. Often, too, have I been 
bitten sharply by one I had laid hold of. Almost any hole in any 
object will do for the nest-site. ven a bottle, a wooden box, a 
- pump-barrel, a queer-shaped cavity in an old tree only big enough 
to admit such a small creature, all are made available. The nest 
is voluminous, of moss, hair, and feathers; and the eggs are almost 
endless. From six up to twelve or thirteen is of common occur- 
rence. Mr. Hewitson mentions one case of eighteen eggs! They 
are white, and spotted with pale red. The journeys of the old 
birds to and from the nest when supplying their large family 
with food are literally innumerable; and the number of small 
caterpillars, grubs, plant-lice, and the like, destroyed by these 
indefatigable caterers, must be simply astonishing. I think the 
pair just now referred 1o made at least one visit to the nest every 
two minutes throughout the day. The climbing, clinging habits 
of this and other Tomtits are very amusing; and in former days 
I made them dance on the slack-rope for my amusement and my 
friends’. I strung a nut or two on a piece of strong thread, and 
tied the two extremities to a tree and a nail ina wall near the 
window, respectively. This plan gave me many lengthened 
opportunities for watching their ways. I have also seen them strip- 
ping off the loose bark from pine-planks and picking out the fine 
fat. grubs which eat their way between the wood and the bark.— 
Fig. 16, plate ILI. 
72. CRESTED TITMOUSE—(Parus cristatus), 
As rare with us as the last two Tits are common. 
73. COLE TITMOUSE—(Parus ater). 
Colemouse, Coal-head.—A hardy little bird, of no rare occur- 
