3 o THE RIVER-SIDE NATURALIST. 



THE BEARDED TITMOUSE. 



Another bird of the reeds but rarely seen is the beauti- 

 ful BEARDED TITMOUSE (Calamophilus biamarcus) ; or, " The 

 Friend of the Reeds." Order, Passeres ; family, Panuridce. 



This bird is now chiefly confined to the Broads of Nor- 

 folk, more particularly to Hickling and Horsey Broads. 

 Seebohm says that it is still found in some parts of Devon- 

 shire. It was formerly common enough on the banks of 

 many of our slow-running rivers, and is, we believe, still 

 occasionally met with on some parts of the Thames. 

 Dresser calls it the Bearded Reedling, and in Norfolk it 

 goes by the name of the Reed Pheasant. Bailey says : 

 "The habits of this bird are quiet and sociable; they do 

 .not fear man much, and only when disturbed or menaced 

 do they fly off to some distance or plunge into the reeds, 

 uttering their call-note, Thien-thien" This cry some- 

 what resembles the silvery sound produced by twitching 

 the strings of a mandoline. 



If you should happen to come across one of these birds, 

 put your binocular on it at once, and, if a male bird, look 

 carefully at his beautiful plumage the dark slate-coloured 

 head with his black moustache, rather than beard, extend- 

 ing from the eye and ending in a point ; the pinkish sides 

 and beautiful fawn-coloured back and wings, with the lesser 

 wing-covert grey ; the long fawn-coloured tail. And watch 

 him how he creeps up the stems of the reeds, sometimes 

 head downwards, always on the alert a lovely bird indeed. 



