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THE RIVER-SIDE NATURALIST. 



THE BLUE TITMOUSE. 



The BLUE TITMOUSE (Parus ccerukus), Blue-Cap, Billy- 

 Biter, is one of the prettiest of our Paridce, and a very 

 common species. All of us who, in our boy days, have 

 been fond of bird-nesting can well remember with what 

 terror we first heard that peculiar hissing when inspecting 





THE BLUE TITMOUSE. 



a hole in a tree or wall, firmly believing that a snake and 

 not a bird was the cause of it. When better informed, we 

 knew it was Mistress Blue-Cap, who defends her home with 

 great courage and pertinacity. The nest is at times placed 

 in very curious localities ; an old bottle, even a country 

 post-office box, has been appropriated. The crown of the 



