PARIDJ5. 



PA1UD,E. 



their victims by repeated blow* on the head with their strong, sharp, 

 and hud beak. for the mke of feasting on UM brains. 



The Orwt Tit, without any compass to apeak of, it a songster, not 

 Ukadmired by MM for iu few but lively note* heralding the spring 

 early in February. The quatrain in the ' Portrait* d'Oyteaiu ' in loud 



" A* Imp* d'Aotaue U y a des eaigei 



KM pud Mm. qi kaateat per let boy., 

 E fesrt dee veft dms* cm qutnw per <6U ; 

 Orsseax prt.u, et ql cbaateat ooeuM anf**." 



The habit* of UM Blue Tit are recorded by White with equal truth. 

 Thi* i* the bird that fighU *o stoutly pro ari* et foci*, hiiwing like a 

 make or an angry kitten when her nest in the hollow of come decayed 

 tree U tended by the echool-boy, who, if not deterred by the ominous 

 sound*. often rue* hi* temerity, and draw* back hi* hand with more 

 inlailli than he itretebed it forth, well pecked t>y the irritated matron. 

 Hence he calk it ' Billy Biter :' by the way, Montagu gives ' Willow 

 Biter' as one of its names. The Utter name doe* not convey much 

 meaning to any one acquainted with the habit* of the bird, the former 

 does ; may not Montagu have heard it imperfectly f 



The gardener who eee* thi* little bird buiy about the bud* like* it 

 not, and in tome parishes a reward ha* been set upon it* head. Mr. 

 Knmpp, in hi* intereating ' Journal of a Naturalist,' notice* *uch a case 

 where the stimulus appear* to have operated to aome purpose against 

 thees innocent little birds, for one item passed in the churchwardens' 

 amount was " for seventeen doien of Tomtits' heads." They may 

 now and then knock off a bud in their busy search for insects, but the 

 gr*t good they do in ridding the plants of these far outweighs any 

 casual harm that may result from their industry. 



The song of the Tomtit ha* but little variety ; the vivacity of the 

 bird seem* however to have found favour for it* song with our neigh- 

 bonrs, for the ' Portraits d'Oyteaux ' notices it with applause : 



" L'EU M bolt ls melange bleuu pit, 

 Et nuu* vient roir en llyrcr el Auumne, 

 1* donx chanter d'lcelle plalalr donne 

 A tout eiprlt, a qnl 1'eaeonter plaUt." 



P raudalta, the Long-Tailed Titmouse. This is the Pendolino, 

 Parunzino, Codibugnolo, and Psglia in Culo, of the Italians ; Mesonge 

 a la Longue Queue and Pcrd MI Queue of the French ; Langschwiinzige 

 Meise, Schwanxmeise, and Belzmeise Pfannenstiel, of the Germans; 

 Stautmesa of the Netherlander* ; Alhtita of the Swedes ; Jenaga of 

 the Japanese ; Bottle-Tit, Bottle-Tom, Long-Tailed Farmer, Long-Tail 

 Mag. Long-Tail Pie, Poke Pudding, Huckmuck, and Mum-Kumn, of 

 the English; and Y Benloyn Qnyftonhir of the Welsh. 







Ls*f>Talkd TltSMSM <r*no MwMw), mat* atd frmnlc. (Gould, ) 



Male. Bead, neck, throat, and breast, pure white : upper part and 

 oetrtre of the back, rump, and the six middle tail-feather*, <lrrp black ; 

 scapulars irdilisb ; belly, tide*, and abdomen, reddUh-white; qiiilln 

 Mack; (rnter wing-covert* bordered with pare white; lateral tail- 



feathers white on their external barbs and at their end ; tail very long 

 and wedge-shaped. Length, & inches 7 or 8 lines. 



Female. A large black band above the eyes, which is prolonged 

 upon the nape, and proceeds to unite itself with the black of the 

 upper part of the back. 



Young. Small black spots on the cheeks and brown spots on the 

 breast ; black of the back not so decided. (Temminck.) 



This bird is found in Siberia, Ituuia, and Japan; the whole of 

 Europe ; England, Scotland (near Edinburgh at least), and Ireland. 



Insects, their lanrn and eggs, form the food of these pretty little 

 birds. When White says that the Long-Tailed Titmouse never 

 retreats for succour in the severest seasons to bouses and their neigh- 

 bourhood, he must not be supposed to mean that the bird avoids the 

 haunts of men. We have seen in a nursery-garden in Middlesex a 

 whole family of them within a few yards of the nurseryman's cottage, 

 and close to his greenhouse, which visitors were constantly entering ; 

 and we have found its exquisitely-wrought nest in a silver fir about 

 eight feet high, in a pleasure-ground in the same county, little more 

 than a hundred yards from the house. Pennant well describes its 

 appearance in flight, when, after stating that the young follow the 

 part-tits the whole winter, he says, " from the slimness of their bodies, 

 and great length of tail, they appear while flying like so many darts 

 cutting the air. They are often seen passing through our gardens, 

 going progressively from tree to tree, as if ou their road to some other 

 place, never making any halt." 



Yarrell is equally happy in describing the nest and manners of this 

 interesting little bird. "The nest. of this species," says he, "is 

 another example of ingenious construction, combining beauty of 

 appearance with security and warmth. In shape it in nearly oval, 

 with one small hole in the upper part of the side by which the bird 

 enters. I have never seen more than one hole. The outside of this 

 nest sparkles with silver-coloured lichens adhering to a firm texture 

 of moss and wool, the inside profusely lined with soft feathers. The 

 nest is generally placed in the middle of a thick bush, and so firmly 

 fixed, that it is mostly found necessary to cut out the portion of the 

 bush containing it, if desirous of preserving the natural appearance 

 and form of the nest In this species the female is known to be the 

 nest-maker, and to have been occupied for a fortnight to three weeks 

 in completing her habitation. In this she deposits from ten to twelve 

 eggs, but a larger number are occasionally found ; they are small and 

 white, with a few pale red specks, frequently quite plain, measuring 

 even lines in length and five lines in breadth. The young family of 

 the year keep company with the parent birds during their first autumn 

 and winter, and generally crowd close together on the same branch nt 

 roosting-time, looking, when thus huddled up, like a shapeless lump 

 of feathers only. These birds have several notes, on the sound of 

 which they assemble and keep together : one of these call-notes is soft 

 and scarcely audible ; a second is a louder chirp or twitter ; and a 

 third is of a hoarser kind." 





Not of Long-Tailed Titmouw. 



In the 'Portrait* d'Oyseaux,' the qualities of tliis species are thus 

 summed up 



" Otte mennrgo ttt A In longtic queur, 

 Ojwau petit, commc et Ic Koytelet : 

 f) drmrurant, Inconilnnt, rt follet, 

 Par aon hanlt chant a rolx cut Urn eogneur." 



/'. l.iarmiciu, the Bearded Titmouse. Thin is the Mesange Bsrbue 

 ou Moustache of the French; Bartmeie of the Germans ; Least 

 linti -)MT -Bird of Kdwards; Reed Pheasant (provincial) of the English; 

 and Y Bnrfog of the Welsh. 



Male. Black between the bill and the eye, and tliese black fcntlicrs 

 are very long and prolonged on each aide on the lateral pnrt of the 



