A ME RICA N ORNITHO LOGY. 



HABITS. 



These long tailed, mouse colored 

 little birds occupy the same position 

 in California that the Chickadee 

 does in the East. They are known 

 and loved by all. They have a 

 trustful, confiding nature, and seem 

 to have no fear of man while hop- 

 ping about among the bushes, intent 

 on their search for insects. While at 

 work they assume all possible po- 

 sitions, and keep up a continual 

 twittering. They are very inquisi- 

 tive little fellows, and will come 

 about to see what you are doing, 

 approaching so closely that you can 

 nearly touch them. Mr. Clark 

 writes: — "The habitat of this tiny 

 weaver is California except north- 

 ern coast district. They are with 

 us in flocks during the winter, but 

 pair and begin building as early as 

 Feb. 25, this being the earliest date 

 upon which I have found them build- 

 ing in 1900. On April 19, 1899, as 

 I was strolling over the hill near our 

 town, I saw a pair of California 

 Bush-tits collecting; material for a 



nest. When 1 first saw them they 

 had their tiny beaks filled with 

 lichens and were flying from bush to 

 bush, straight up over a hill. In 

 order to keep them in sight I had to 

 run as fast as 1 could, and even then 

 they were the first to reach the 

 summit and were lost to view. 

 Their continual 'pit' — 'pit' — 'pit* 

 soon revealed their whereabouts 

 and 1 found a very pretty and near- 

 ly typical nest at an elevation of 

 about fifteen feet. The finishing 

 touches were just being made. One 

 week later it contained six eggs. 

 Wonderful acrobats are these litttle 

 friends, for they never suffer a rush 

 of blood to the head, although they 

 are upside down at least one half 

 the time, when feeding among the 

 leaves. 1 have never taken a skin 

 of this bird and think 1 never shall, 

 unless I find one dead. I can shoot 

 a Jay or a Woodpecker when 1 think 

 it necessary but have not been able 

 thus far to take the life of a Bush- 

 tit." 



