T-OXG-TAILED TITMOUSE. 61 



at the side as an entrance : the outside is com- 

 posed of moss, wool, and dry grass, curiously and 

 firmly woven together with wool, and lined with 

 an immense quantity of feathers : it takes four or 

 five weeks to complete its habitation. The female 

 lays about a dozen eggs at one brood, and not, as 

 is generally] supposed, upwards of twenty: they 

 weigh about twelve grains ; are white, sprinkled 

 with rust-coloured spots at the larger end. 



This bird is found in Italy and the northern 

 countries of Europe, and frequents low situations, 

 especially where the trees are covered with moss 

 and lichen : it is very common in orchards and 

 gardens, injuring the trees in the same manner 

 as the rest of the genus, by plucking off the buds 

 to search for insects; it flies very swiftly, and from 

 its slender shape it seems like a dart flying through 

 the air : it is an active, restless creature, running 

 up and down the branches of trees with the great- 

 est facility, and flying backwards and forwards. 

 In the spring it is said to sing very prettily, though 

 at other times it has but a shrill call. The young 

 birds remain with the parents during the winter, 

 and in the night they assemble and go to rest on a 

 branch of a tree, and are huddled together so close 

 as to appear like a ball of down : many small birds 

 are observed to do the same. 



