THE TITMOUSE. 



The note of the black-headed titmouse, in spring, 

 exactly resembles the setting of a saw. The sound 

 ceases when the bird has a nest ; and it appears to fore- 

 tel rain. The crested titmouse is found only in the 

 forests of Scotland. The elegant bearded titmouse ap- 

 pears amidst the reeds on the banks of the Thames, 

 feeding on insects, but chiefly on the seeds of marsh 

 plants. Of these birds there are also four other species. 

 They are lively, active, and courageous : they flit 

 from tree to tree ; they hop from branch to branch, 

 calling to each other ; they hang upon the bark ; they 

 poise themselves against the walls ; they hook them- 

 selves on the trunks of trees, and are suspended in all 

 forms, often with the head downwards, in order to ex- 

 amine every little crevice, and to search out caterpillars, 

 insects, or their eggs. They live also on grain ; but 

 instead of breaking it with their bill, like linnets and 

 goldfinches, almost all of them hold it fixed under their 

 little claws, and pierce it with strokes of the beak. 



