Every species of titmouse winters with us. 

 One species alone spends its whole time in the 

 woods and fields, never retreating for succour, in the severest 

 seasons, to houses and neighbourhoods and that is the delicate 

 long-tailed titmouse, which is almost as minute as the golden- 

 crowned wren ; but the blue-titmouse, or nun, the cole-titmouse, the 

 great black-headed titmouse, and the marsh-titmouse, all resort, at 

 times, to buildings, and in hard weather particularly. 



The great titmouse, driven by stress of weather, much frequents 

 houses ; and, in deep snows, I have seen this bird, while it hung 

 with its back downwards (to my no small delight and admiration), 

 draw straws lengthwise from cut the eaves of thatched houses, in 

 order to pull out the flies that were concealed between them, and 

 that in such numbers that they [the tits] quite defaced the thatch, 

 and gave it a ragged appearance. 



The blue-titmouse, or nun, is a great frequenter of houses, and a 

 general devourer. Besides insects, it is very fond of flesh, for it 

 frequently picks bones. It is a vast admirer of suet, and haunts 

 butchers' shops. It will also pick holes in apples left on the ground, 

 and be well entertained with the seeds on the head of a sunflower. 



The blue, marsh, and great titmice will, in very severe weather, 

 carry away barley and oat-straws from the sides of ricks. G. W. 



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