BLUE TITMOUSE 73 



inner apartment is hollowed out by the bird itself in a truly 

 marvellous manner, as smoothly as if wrought by the hand 

 of man ; one has been known to build in the end of a 

 disused leaden pipe. 



Mr. M. Saul has narrated, in the Zoologist, the follow- 

 ing most singular instance of something akin to reasoning 

 in a case of the kind, if indeed the motive was such as he 

 has imagined : " Two birds made their appearance ; one 

 entered the hole, and appeared to be pecking away at the 

 wood inside, for, as it managed to separate piece after piece, 

 it brought them to the other bird, which remained at the 

 entrance ; and this last flew away with each piece, and carry- 

 ing it to a distance from the tree, dropped it on the middle 

 of the road, as if to avoid the detection which was almost 

 sure to follow, if the chips had been carelessly dropped at 

 the foot of a tree in a frequented thoroughfare." 



A singular situation for a nest has been described by the 

 authors of the "Birds of Devon." It was on the dried-up 

 body of a Redwing lying on its back in the cavity of an 

 apple tree, and on the breast and between the partially ex- 

 panded wings which formed a cup-like hollow, a Blue Tit- 

 mouse had built its nest and laid nine eggs. Mr. Booth 

 describes a nest that was built in an iron lamp-post in Mont- 

 pellier Road, Brighton, which the bird made use of many 

 years in succession. There is no doubt that the same nest is 

 frequently repaired from year to year ; the Revs. Andrew 

 and Henry Matthews have known one resorted to for twelve 

 successive years. Is is said, however, that if two broods 

 are brought up in the year two different situations are chosen 

 for the purpose ; sometimes two pairs will quarrel for the 

 same situation. 



The eggs are generally seven or eight in number, but 



VOL. I. K 



