BEARDED TIT. 409 



that are broken down, but never suspended between the 

 stems." 



I obtained two nests from the parish of Horsey. These 

 were both placed near the ground, being sustained only 

 an inch or two above the surface by the strength of the 

 stems of the coarse grass upon which they were fixed. 

 Each nest was composed entirely of dried bents, the finer 

 ones forming the lining, and others increasing in substance 

 made up the exterior. The eggs are from four to six in 

 number, rather smaller than those of the Great Tit, and 

 less pointed, eight lines and a half long by six lines and a 

 half in breadth, white, and sparingly marked with pale red 

 lines or scratches. 



Their food during winter, Mr. Hoy says, " is principally 

 the seed of the reed ; and so intent are they in searching 

 for it, that he has taken them with a bird-limed twig 

 attached to the end of a fishing-rod. When alarmed by 

 any sudden noise, or the passing of a Hawk, they utter 

 their shrill musical notes, and conceal themselves among 

 the thick bottoms of the reeds ; but soon resume their 

 station, climbing the upright stems with the greatest faci- 

 lity. I have been enabled to watch their motions when in 

 search of insects, having, when there has been a little wind 

 stirring, been often within a few feet of them, quite un- 

 noticed among the thick reeds." In the same volume 

 of the Magazine of Natural History, Mr. Dykes says, 

 " Having had an opportunity of examining three specimens, 

 I found the crops completely filled with the Succinea am- 

 phibia in a perfect state, the shells being unbroken. These 

 shells were singularly closely packed together ; the crop 

 of one, which was not larger than a hazel nut, containing 

 twenty, and some of them of a good size ; it contained 

 also four of the Pupo muscorum. Of all these mollusca 

 the shell was quite uninjured ; which, when the fragile 



