Bicttonarj) of &nimatrtt $ature. 687 



types of the family ; such as Ctcnophora, 

 J'i'dicin, and the true Tipulce, which are 

 vulgarly termed I)uddy-long-lgfc 



The Tipulidte Culicifonnct resemble Gnats, 

 having tlic antenna; entirely pilose, but with 

 the hairs much longer in the malts than in 

 the females. Their larvae live in the water, 

 and resemble those of Gnats. Some of them 

 have false feet ; others have arm-like ap- 



{>endages at the posterior extremity of the 

 >ody ; and they are generally of a red colour. 

 The pupa; are also aquatic, and respire by 

 two outer appendages placed at the anterior 

 extremity of the body. Some have the 

 power of swimming. 



The Tipulida: Terricolce comprise the lar- 

 gest species in the family, with the antennae 

 longer than the head, and slender ; destitute 

 of ocelli; the eyes round and entire; the 

 wings, extended in many, have always mem- 

 branous nerves, united together transversely, 

 and closed discoidal cells. The front of the 

 head is narrowed, and prolonged into a 

 muzzle, with a basal prominence t the palpi 

 generally long, and the extremity or the 

 tibia: spinose. The larva? of many species 

 live in the earth, the decayed parts of 

 trees, &c. The thorax is not distinct, and 

 they have no false feet. The pupse are 

 naked, with two respiratory tubes near the 

 heud ; and the edges of the abdominal seg- 

 ments spinose. 



TITLARK ; or TITLING. The English 

 name of birds of the genus Anthus. [See 

 LARK.] 



TITMOUSE. (Pan/*.) A genus of active 

 little birds, continually flitting from spray 

 to spray, and suspending themselves in all 

 kinds of attitudes. They are noted for the 

 peculiarly elegant construction of their nests, 

 which are composed of the softest materials ; 

 and many of them are fastened to the ex- 

 treme end of a small branch of a tree that 

 projects over the water a contrivance by 

 which they are well secured from the at- 

 tacks of quadrupeds and reptiles. They are 

 extremely prolific, and provide for their nu- 

 merous young ones with the most indefa- 

 tigable industry. Such is their strength and 

 courage that they will venture to attack 

 birds above three times their own size ; and 

 when they kill an opponent (or even if they 

 find one that has recently died) they always 

 pierce a hole in the skull and eat the brains. 

 Their principal food consists of insects, which 

 they obtain in the spring by biting off the 

 opening buds, and in the summer by search- 

 ing in cracks and crevices of trees. The 

 Titmice have short conical bills, with the 

 tips not dentated, and a few bristles at the 

 base. Though essentially insectivorous, 

 many of them also feed on fruit and seeds of 

 various kinds, and show great fondness for 

 animal fat. A writer in the Quarterly 

 Review (Dec. 1842) tells us that " Tom-tits 

 are called * Bee-biters ' in Hampshire. They 

 are said to tap at the hives of the bees, and 

 then snap up the testy inmates, who come 

 out to see what it is all about: if birds 

 chuckle as well as chirp, we can fancy the de- 

 light of this little mischievous ne'er-do-good 

 at the success of his lark." Our figure rcpre- 



sents a characteristic species of the group, the 

 COLE TITMOUSE. (Parus ater.) This specie* 

 is not BO common in England as it appean 



to be in Scotland, where it abounds in the 

 woods. The head, neck, and upper part of 

 the breast black ; the cheeks and nape white. 

 This species makes iU nest in holes of old 

 trees near the ground, forming it of moss 

 lined with hair ; its eggs are from six to 

 eight, white with reddish spoU. 



The BLACK-CAPPED TITMOUSE (Parus 

 ntricdjiUliis), which Wilson, the American 

 ornithologist, suspects to be identical with 

 the Parus J/udsonicus of Latham, is thus de- 

 scribed by him : " This is one of our resi- 

 dent birds, active, noisy, and restless ; hardy 

 beyond any of his size, braving the severest 

 cold of our continent as far north as the 

 country round Hudson's Bay, and always 

 appearing most lively in the coldest weather. 

 The males have a variety of very sprightly 

 notes, which cannot, indeed, be called a song, 

 but rather a lively, frequently repeated, and 

 often varied twitter. They are most usually 

 seen during the fall and winter, when they 

 leave the depths of the woods, and approach 

 nearer to the scenes of cultivation. At such 

 seasons they abound among evergreens, feed- 

 ing on the seeds of the pine tree ; they are 

 also fond of sunflower seeds, and associate in 

 parties of six, eight, or more, attended by the 

 Carolina Nuthatch, the Crested Titmouse, 

 Brown Creeper, and small Spotted Wood- 

 pecker ; the whole forming a very nimble 

 and restless company, whose food, manners, 

 and dispositions are very much alike. About 

 the middle of April they begin to build, 

 choosing the deserted hole of a squirrel or 

 woodpecker, and sometimes, with incredible 

 labour, digging one out for themselves. The 

 female lays six white eggs, marked with 

 minute specks of red ; the first brood appear 

 about the beginning of June, and the second 

 towards the end of July ; the whole of the 

 family continue to associate together during 

 winter. They traverse the woods in regular 

 progression, from tree to tree, tumbling, chat- 

 tering, and hanging from the extremities of 

 the branches, examining about the roots of 

 the leaves, buds, and crevices of the bark, 

 for insects and their larvse. They also fre- 

 quently visit the orchards, particularly in 

 the fall of the year, the sides of the barn and 

 barn-yard, in the same pursuit, trees in such 

 situations being generally much infested 

 with iusects. We, therefore, with pleasure, 



3 N 2 



