TITS AND WRENS 39 



more or less the whole year through if the 

 food is left there, but, of course, many more 

 in winter than in summer, and most of all in 

 February and the beginning of March, when 

 I have counted twelve on the stand at once, 

 but the numbers fall off very quickly towards 

 the middle of March. 



I have noticed every year that at certain 

 times of the day, especially from about 12.30 

 to 1.30, there is a marked increase in num- 

 bers. In winter at least no five minutes 

 passes without one or more birds appearing, 

 but at mid-day, and again to a lesser extent 

 just before it begins to get dark, they seem 

 literally to swarm. 



I have found that all tits, as well as 

 sparrows and robins, prefer a mixture of 

 bread and fat to fat alone. During Feb- 

 ruary and March, 1897, I weighed all the 

 bread and fat consumed on the food-stand 

 and found that it was as nearly as possible 

 eleven pounds. Lately I have added cocoa- 

 nuts to the bill of fare; they are appreciated 

 by the tits, but blackbirds, robins and thrushes 

 prefer the bread and fat mixture, or rather 

 they do not seem to care at all for the 

 cocoanuts. 



It is curious to see how quickly birds 

 discover that food has been put out on the 

 stand. One year, after the receptacles had 

 been empty for weeks in the summer, I put 

 in some fat, and in less than five minutes a 



