LONG-TAILLD GREAT TITMOUSE — TOMTIT. 219 



Even the elegant Oriole,* in vesture of gold, 

 (Go thou who art sceptic such birds' nests behold!) 

 Came to grace, by his presence, the redolent spring, 

 And to proffer respect to the Aquiline King. 



Long-tail Pie^ Mum'Tuffin^ or Pudiling-Poke, is the smallest of 

 the tribe ; the tail longer than the body ; crown white ; greater 

 wing covens black, lesser brown, edged with rosy; length 

 rather more than five inches. For a descriplion of its nest see 

 the Notes to thelntrodnction. The nest is, however, occasionally 

 varied in size, form, and the position of its entrance. In a 

 drawing of one, a fac-simile of it, lately obtained for me by a 

 friend from the neighbourhood of Dover, it is much neater ex- 

 ternally than this nest usually appears : it looks like a truncated 

 cylinder, the top being arched over, on one side of which is the 

 hole. Eggs small, seventeen or more, white spotted with rusty; 

 sometimes a pure white without any spots. Feeds on insects 

 and their larvae. Inhabits Europe and this country. 



The Major, Great-Titmouse, Ox-eye, Great-black-headed 

 Tomtit, Black-cap, has the head black, cheeks white ; back and 

 wings olive green ; rump blue grey ; belly greenish yellow ; 

 length five inches and three quarters ; frequents gardens, but 

 builds in woods ; eggs ten, or more, colour of those of the pre- 

 ceding. Said to be injurious to gardens and orchards by pick- 

 ing oflFthe tender buds from trees ; but this may be questioned. 

 Inhabits Europe, Asia, Africa, and this country. Another 

 variety with the bill forked, and crossed as in the loxia cur- 

 virostra, thence named the Cross-hill Titmouse. Builds in the 

 hole of a wall or a tree. 



T\\e Car ulcus. Tomtit, Blue-Titmouse, Nun, or HickmaUyhas 

 the back yellowish-green, tail blue; body, beneath, white- 

 yellow ; four and a half inches long ; frequents gardens like the 



* For an account of the G olden-Oriole y see Part II.; for the 

 Orioles' msts, see page 23. 



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