BEARDED TIT. 407 



there distinguished by the generic term Calamophilus, in 

 reference to its decided partiality to live among reeds. The 

 habits of the only species known are distinct : it lives mostly 

 in marshy places, and builds an open cup-shaped nest, which 

 is placed on the ground. The food of this species is seeds, 

 insects and their larvae, and small-shelled snails. The sides 

 of the stomach in this bird are muscular, and much thick- 

 ened, forming a gizzard which the true Tits do not possess. 

 This structure of the stomach affords the power of break- 

 ing down the shells of the testaceous mollusca referred to, 

 namely, Succinea amphibia and Pupa muscorum, many 

 of which have been found comminuted therein. This bird 

 differs also from the Tits in some other minor characters. 



From the loose, soft, and almost inaccessible nature of 

 the soil at the sides of rivers in which beds of reeds grow, 

 and which are the places mostly frequented by the Bearded 

 Tit, its habits were formerly but little known ; but the 

 communications of various observers to the different pe- 

 riodicals devoted to Natural History have supplied the de- 

 ficiency. A contributor to Mr. London's Magazine found, 

 after a close search, a flock of eight or ten of these beautiful 

 little creatures on the wing, in a large piece of reeds below 

 Barking Creek, in Essex ; " they were just topping the 

 reeds in their flight, and uttering in full chorus their sweetly 

 musical note ; it may be compared to the music of very 

 small cymbals, is clear and ringing, though soft, and cor- 

 responds well with the delicacy and beauty of the form and 

 colour of the birds. Several flocks were seen during the 

 morning. Their flight was short and low, only sufficient to 

 clear the reeds, on the seedy tops of which they alight to 

 feed, hanging, like most of their tribe, with the head or 

 back downwards. If disturbed, they immediately descend 

 by running, or rather by dropping. The movement is rapid 

 down the stem to the bottom, where they creep and flit, 



