130 THE RIVER-SIDE NATURALIST. 



says : " The marsh tit has scarcely a right to its name. 

 It is never seen in the reeds or in the sedge, which are the 

 special characteristics of the marsh, but in bushes and trees 

 of all kinds, great or small, on the confines of the reeds, on 

 the bushes by the river-side, or in the garden. Even in the 

 suburban gardens of London or Sheffield it is almost sure 

 to be found. Nevertheless, it is less partial to very dry 

 districts than some of the other tits." 



Gould says that it is common in the neighbourhood of 

 the Thames and other rivers. 



THE COAL TITMOUSE. 



The COAL or COLE TIT (Pants ater) is a very lively 

 bird, flitting from bush to bush, uttering its call-note, If- 

 hee, if-hee, if-hee, creeping up the stems examining every 

 crannie and crack in the bark, first head upwards, then 

 head downwards, then hanging by its leg at the end of a 

 branch, always at work, always busy; and having thoroughly 

 investigated every likely spot, off he flits to the next tree, 

 to go through the same process. Put your glass upon 

 him, and you will find the coal-tit has a black head, the 

 nape of the neck with the ear-coverts white, the upper 

 parts brown, the wings and tail a greyish-brown ; there is 

 a double bar of white across the wings ; breast and lower 

 part white, brownish-yellow on the sides. The coal-tit is 

 distinguished from the marsh by the white patch on the nape 

 of the neck and by its different call-note. He is a little bit 

 of a bird, only about four inches long, including his tail. 



As regards its British 'name, Coal or Cole Tit, the 

 editor of the fourth edition of " Yarrell's British Birds" 

 has the following note : " Merritt in 1667 called this 

 bird, Latinising its name, Carbonarius. The French, 

 Charbonniere, applies to this as well as to the great 

 titmouse, and equally shows the meaning of the word, 

 which most later authors have spelt l cole ; ' but as it has 

 clearly nothing to do with cole, the plant (as found in cole- 

 wort and coleseed), and we have given up spelling the 

 name of the fuel we burn otherwise than ' coal,' it is 



