THE TIT FAMILY 181 



from my subject, following the train of ideas which 

 presented themselves when quoting from Mr. W. 

 Fowler's remarks, and I have been discussing the 

 subject of taxidermists instead of tomtits, as I 

 had intended. 



Of the well-known family of tits, there are six 

 or seven varieties commonly included in the list 

 of British birds, as follows : 



The long-tailed or bottle tit. 



The great tit. 



The blue tit. 



The coal tit. 



The marsh tit. 



The crested tit. 



The bearded tit. 



Of these seven varieties, the last-named, the 

 bearded, cannot be truly described as belonging 

 to the family, being a kind of remote cousin, and 

 more correctly styled the bearded reedlmg. 



The crested tit is rare, and found only in the 

 pine-forests of Central Scotland. Now and again 

 a specimen is recorded as being procured in 

 England, even in the Southern counties, but such 

 occurrences are very infrequent. It is an extremely 

 beautiful and lively little bird, of about four and 

 a half inches in length, of a grayish-brown, the 

 feathers being edged and tipped with white, the 

 throat and crown of the head black, and with a 

 very conspicuous crest. I have seen some 

 specimens of this bird, which were shot in 



