94 THE NESTS AND EGGS OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



squirrel, or amongst the sticks of a Rook's nest, well 

 made, globular, and composed chiefly of moss exter- 

 nally, warmly lined with feathers. Occasionally the 

 nest is made in a hole in the ground, whilst many 

 curious situations have been recorded. Montagu states 

 that a nest is sometimes dispensed with altogether, the 

 eggs being laid on the powdered wood. The bird fre- 

 quently enlarges the hole, and has been known to 

 excavate it entirely. The actions of the old birds at 

 the nest do not differ from those of their congeners, 

 already described. They are remarkably shy and wary 

 birds throughout the breeding season. 



RANGE OF EGG COLOURATION AND MEASUREMENT : 

 The eggs of the Great Titmouse are usually from five to 

 eight in number, but occasionally ten or twelve may be 

 found. They are white or yellowish-white in ground 

 colour, freckled and blotched with light red. As usual, 

 two distinct types of eggs occur : those in which the 

 spots are minute, and those in which they are larger and 

 blotchy ; whilst both types either have them uniformly 

 distributed over most of the surface, or confined to a 

 zone round the larger end. Average measurement, "j 

 inch in length, by "55 inch in breadth. Incubation, 

 performed by both sexes, lasts fourteen days. 



DIAGNOSTIC CHARACTERS : The eggs of the Great 

 Titmouse are on an average readily distinguished by 

 their larger size from those of allied Titmice, but the 

 eggs of the Nuthatch and the Creeper very closely 

 resemble them ; the nest, however, is quite sufficient to 

 designate the ownership. 



