146 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 



(22) Parus major newtoni. British Great Tit. 



June 3 A nest of these birds was ready to fly on this 

 date (E.H.C.). 



(23) Parus ater britannicus. British Coal Titmouse. 



Apr. 30 At Canford, sitting in an artificial nesting 

 box. 



May 21 E.H.C. decided to try his luck with this pair, 

 which had hatched out. He started observing 

 at 1.15. His Notes are as follows : " One 

 bird arrived with a green larva ; 1.22, female ; 

 1.23, male ; 1.25, female ; and 1.30, female fed 

 young. The male started singing " tweet chew, 

 tweet chew, tweet chew, tweet," then " tweet 

 tweet " several times with intervals ; then 

 " twee tweety " three times repeated. Then 

 " weet weet weet tee," then two low notes and 

 one long one high. Then he made a direct 

 change into the reverse, and gave one long high 

 note and two short ones on the same lower note. 

 At 1.37 the male, having gone through this 

 variation in notes several times, fell silent, and 

 at 1.40 arrived with a green larva ; 1.45, male; 

 1.48, female ; 1.50, male fed young and then 

 indulged in a little song " cheer (1) chee (6) " 

 and then " cheerr." All of which sounded very 

 much like the way they scold intruders ; but it 

 was not so indignant, and, so far as I could see, 

 there was no cause for scolding ; 1.52, female 

 with green larva ; 1.57, female again, male 

 singing close at hand ; 2, another bird fed ; 

 2.7, I put a few oak leaves in the entrance 

 hole ; 2.8, male came and tried to enter the 

 nest ; but he fussed round and went from the 

 nesting hole to the top of the box and back two 

 or three times. The pair are both remarkably 



