110 OUR IRISH SONG BIRDS. 



LONG-TAILED TIT. 



Acredula caudata ; Mesange a longue queue; ScJnvarz- 



meise. 



Bottle Tit ; Poke Pudding. 



Bill, legs, and claws, black ; head, neck, throat, and 

 breast, white ; black streak over the eye ; back, rose-red, 

 with a similar tinge on the sides beneath the wings ; 

 tail, black, save outer feathers, which are whitish. 

 Length, five inches and three-quarters. As the tail, 

 however, is three inches long, the body of the bird is 

 exceedingly small. 



The song of this bird is the poorest of all the Tits'; it 

 is confined to what has been called a "spluttering note," 

 in addition to the stereotyped " see, see, see," of the 

 family of Titmice. The bird, however, is a really 

 interesting one, and its nest is the neatest in our island. 

 Were it not for its long tail, this Tit would seem but 

 little more than a ball of feathers, and would probably 

 escape notice almost altogether; this conspicuous feature, 

 however, at once attracts attention, as the little company 

 moves in single file from tree to tree. These little parties 

 traverse the country in all directions, and may frequently 

 be seen in the environs of Dublin. At the Dargle I 

 have noticed the four different species of Tits within an 

 hour in the same trees. The Long-tailed Tit, however, 

 seems to prefer the society of the Gold-crest to that of 

 the other Titmice, with which we should expect to find 

 it associated naturally. 



In severe weather these little birds crowd together at 

 night ; but, according to Mr. Thompson and other 



