306 THE TITMICE. 



Linn.) was common with us. It is also common in the 

 southern and midland portions of Scandinavia; but in the 

 more northern parts it is scarcer. Malm speaks of having 

 shot one in northern Lapland, not far from the Icy Sea. 



In the summer time the favourite resorts of this bird are 

 woods and bushy districts ; but in the autumn it collects 

 about houses " to live," as the peasants express it, " amongst 

 people." The inhabitants of the province of Bohus, indeed, 

 predict the approach of winter when it comes to their dwell- 

 ings, and, as they say, " pickar Mttet af glasen " that is, 

 picks the putty from the windows. 



But by Pontoppidan's account, putty alone would not 

 seem to stay its stomach. When speaking of it, he says : 

 " It is hated and persecuted ; for according to its name 

 (Kiod-Meise, or the meat-titmouse), it is such a lover of 

 meat, that it watches every opening or hole to get into the 

 farmer's pantry, and falls upon the meat, and will eat its way 

 into it like a mouse ; even when the meat hangs up to be 

 smoked, they can hardly preserve it from these birds ; they 

 are catched like mice in a trap." 



The song of this bird in the spring is not unpleasing, 

 but possesses little variety, and consists almost wholly of 

 slzida, sizida, which it often repeats. The peasants in the 

 south of Sweden fancy they hear in these notes the words, 

 litet ho, litet ho that is, little hay, little hay because at 

 that season they have not much forage left for their cattle. 



The great titmouse may soon be familiarized. " Some 

 years ago," M. Edgren tells us, " a pair, male and female, 

 were taken during the winter in a trap, near to Skofde in 

 Westgothland, and afterwards set at liberty in a large apart- 

 ment of the mansion, about which they flew at pleasure ; and 



