430 BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 



Situation and Locality. Holes in the trunks, 

 branches, old stumps of trees, and posts. The hole 

 is situated from a few inches to ten or twelve feet 

 from the ground, and is sometimes dug by the bird's 

 own exertions. On the Continent it patronises the 

 deserted nests of Crows and old squirrel dreys. It 

 breeds in old pine, fir, and oak forests in Ross, 

 Banff, Perth, Inverness, and possibly one or two 

 other favourite localities in Scotland only. 



THE HOME OF THE CRESTED TIT. 



Materials. Dead grass, moss, feathers, and down 

 of hares and rabbits. The four nests I have ex- 

 amined of this rare and interesting species consisted 

 almost entirely of deers' hair and rabbits' down. 



Eggs. Five. Professor Newton says that they 

 do not seem to exceed five in number, which my 

 own experience confirms. Mr. Dixon gives the 

 figures as from five to eight, and Mr. Morris from 

 seven to ten. Possibly the last is the result of 

 some Continental information, as it is said the bird 

 lays from eight to ten eggs there. White, spotted, 



