TITMOUSE. 



and neighbourhoods, and that is the delicate long- 

 tailed titmouse, which is almost as minute as the 

 golden-crowned wren : but the blue titmouse, or 

 nun, (parus c&ruleus,) the cole-mouse, (parus ater,) 

 the great black-headed titmouse, (fringillago,) and 

 the marsh titmouse, (parus palustr is,) all resort, at 

 times, to buildings ; and in hard weather particu- 

 larly. The great titmouse, driven by stress of wea- 

 ther, much frequents houses ; and, in deep snows, I 

 have seen this bird, while it hung with its back 

 downwards (to my no small delight and admiration,) 

 draw straws lengthwise from out the eaves of 

 thatched houses, in order to pull out the flies that 

 were concealed between them, and that in such num- 

 bers that they quite defaced the thatch, and gave it 

 a ragged appearance. 



The blue titmouse, or nun, is a great frequenter of 

 houses, and a general devourer. Besides insects, it 

 is very fond of flesh ; for it frequently picks bones on 

 dunghills ; it is a vast admirer of suet, and haunts 

 butchers' shops. When a boy, I have known twenty 

 in a morning caught with snap mouse -traps, baited 

 with tallow or suet. It will also pick holes in apples 

 left on the ground, and be well entertained with the 

 seeds on the head of a sunflower. The blue, marsh, 

 and great titmice will, in very severe weather, carry 

 away barley and oat-straws from the sides of ricks. 



How the wheat-ear and whin-chat support them- 

 selves in winter, cannot be so easily ascertained, 

 since they spend their time on wild heaths and 

 warrens ; the former especially, where there are 

 stone quarries : most probable it is, that their main- 

 tenance arises from the aurelia of the lepidoptera 

 or do, which furnish them with a plentiful table in 

 the wilderness. 



