LONG-TAILED TIT. 403 



entirely, to insects and their larvae. The nest of this spe- 

 cies is another example of ingenious construction, com- 

 bining beauty of appearance with security and warmth. 

 In shape it is 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 from 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 seven 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 at 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 as- 

 semble 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. 



The young birds, taken early from the nest, are the 

 prettiest pets imaginable ; soon becoming perfectly tame, 

 sitting on the finger and waiting with confidence and com- 

 posure for the proffered morsel of food. 



The Long-tailed Tit is a common bird in the southern 

 and western counties of England, from Sussex to Corn- 

 wall. Mr. Eyton includes it in his Catalogue of the Birds 



D D 2 



