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crest. The eggs of these birds are mostly white and 

 semi-translucent, and are commonly more or less 

 spotted with reddish-brown ; and the young, in their 

 first plumage, in general nearly resemble the mature 

 birds, but are not so bright, and are never mottled or 

 spotted. Their notes, which are often repeated and 

 somewhat peculiar, are very characteristic, and have a 

 considerable resemblance in all the species; and 

 their songs (in the few instances which deserve the 

 name) are short and monotonous. They seem fear- 

 less and familiar in their habits, though this may 

 partly arise, in some instances (as in the gold-crests), 

 From the decided indistinctness with which they 

 appear to perceive large objects, and in others (as in 

 the true Pari], more from the all-engrossing eagerness 

 with which they seek their food, and in others again, 

 perhaps, from both of these causes in conjunction. 

 It does not, however, invariably follow that those spe- 

 cies, the vision of which, according to the rule above 

 laid down, would appear to be most microscopic, are 

 also, in consequence of this, the least able to perceive 

 small objects at. a distance; for we have ascertained, 

 by direct and careful experiments with these birds in 

 confinement, that the bottle-tit can perceive a fly 

 held to it at more than twice the distance that the 

 gold-crest can ; and that the blue and cole titmice 

 can thug distinguish a small object clearly, very much 

 farther than the bottle-tit. We have even varied 

 these experiments several different ways, and have 

 invariably obtained the same results. 



As in most other Syluiada;, small insects form the 

 principal food of the Parma;, but the members of 

 the typical genus, Parus (see TITMOUSE), as before 

 observed, are very omnivorous in their diet ; and 

 many species of this genus display the remarkable 

 instinct of hoarding up stores of food in holes and 

 other places, to which they resort in times of neces- 

 sity. This has also been stated of the nuthatches 

 (Sitta), a genus belonging to another family, but 

 which is somewhat allied to the true titmice ; but the 

 statement has been always received with much doubt, 

 and it has even been said, that the hoards of dormice, 

 and other small mammalia, have been mistaken for 

 the stores of these birds. M. Bechstein, however, 

 who appears to have amused himself by keeping 

 some nuthatches in captivity, expressly says, that 

 " if these birds are left at liberty in the room, they 

 are accustomed, like the tits, to hide the greater part 

 of what is given them, to keep it for another meal ;" 

 and afterwards, speaking of the attractive qualities of 

 the nuthatch in confinement, observes, that " its plu- 

 mage, liveliness, agility, and great cunning in catching 

 and hiding its food, are its most agreeable qualities." 

 In this we see the utility, in studying the habits of 

 animals, but especially birds, of keeping them for a 

 time in captivity ; of course, a natural history deduced 

 only from such a source, would be a very meagre 

 production indeed ; but many curious and interesting 

 peculiarities of various species, are only thus to be 

 observed, which often throw considerable light on 

 their wild habits ; and besides, the very accurate ac- 

 quaintance with their various notes and songs, which 

 is thus easily obtained, is a very great assistance to 

 the naturalist in his out-door researches, by enabling 

 him, without difficulty, to recognise at once the differ- 

 ent species even before they make their appearance. 

 In the present case, we question much whether this 

 habit of birds storing up their food, would ever have 

 been noticed at all, had it not been observed in some 

 that were in a state of confinement : it is a habit 



common to very many omnivorous species, and (as 

 far as the observation of the writer of this goes) is 

 peculiar to those which ae omnivorous ; conse- 

 quently, though very observable in the cole and 

 marsh titmice (Parus ater and P. palustris), which 

 subsist on various kinds of food, we look for it in vain 

 in the bottle-tit, and other species which are wholly 

 insectivorous. 



Few birds are so preeminently distinguished for the 

 very beautiful structure of their nests, as the little 

 bottle-tit is ; and the nest of this species forms, with- 

 out exception, the most exquisite fabric of the kind 

 which is found in the British islands : several weeks 

 are occupied in its construction, and yet it is often 

 finished by the close of the month of March, or be- 

 ginning of April ; but in this case, as can be shown 

 pretty clearly, it is never the production of birds of 

 the preceding year. Bottletits, we know, remain in 

 families till the return of spring ; and an individual 

 of this species is never seen, as the titmice often are, 

 solitary, excepting when it has a nest to provide for. 

 Now, it invariably obtains, among birds, that the 

 older individuals are the first to feel the influence of 

 the vernal season ; and consequently, the old bottle- 

 tits are found to pair, and leave their progeny, some 

 weeks before the latter cease to be gregarious: and 

 have thus often concluded the laborious work of nidi- 

 fication before the younger ones commence. This 

 is not mere theory, for, as the bottletit that has twice 

 moulted is very easily distinguishable from a younger 

 individual by its superior beauty, we have been 

 enabled to ascertain the fact, by shooting a few de- 

 tached pairs in early spring, whilst the younger birds 

 were still in society : and it therefore follows, as an 

 almost necessary consequence from this fact, that 

 when the bottle-tit pairs, it pairs for life ; that is, the 

 same pair remaining always together, and in company 

 with their offspring till the following spring, invaria- 

 bly feel, some time before their progeny, the genial 

 influence of the season, and they consequently then 

 separate from their families of the preceding year, 

 and again commence together the business of nidifi- 

 cation. It is true that, during the winter months, 

 three or four families of these birds sometimes seem 

 to unite, and to follow in each other's train, thus 

 forming an almost endlessly long succession of them 

 from tree to tree ; yet, each family at night appears 

 to separate again from the others, and to retire to its 

 own particular resting place. 



Even here we may perceive a difference in habit 

 between the bottle-tit and the true titmice: the latter 

 invariably go to roost in holes ; and so marked is this 

 habit, that a marsh titmouse (Parus palustris}, which 

 we long kept in confinement, used for many months 

 always to pass the night in a tin seed pan attached 

 to the cage, as inconvenient a couch to all appearance 

 as can well be imagined : but the bottle-tit always re- 

 tires at night to the horizontal branch of some thick 

 evergreen, a holly or spruce fir, where the family 

 roost together in a line ; and an amusing sight it is 

 to see them settle, to see the family arrive straggling 

 to the spot, chirrupping forth as they approach their 

 peculiar twittr, twittr; but changing this note as they 

 alight, one after another, to a low, scarcely audible 

 soft twittr. They are a long time, however, com- 

 posing themselves to rest, for, like numerous young 

 Sylviadce, the two on the outside keep continually 

 tying up and working their way into the centre, and 

 then the two next succeed and do the same, and so 

 they continue till it is almost dark, twittering their 



