312 THE BIRDS 



Wood- Wren, Willow Warbler, Garden Warbler, and the Grass- 

 hopper, Sedge, and Reed Warblers. They are mostly birds of 

 small size and plain plumage, and their song is clear and sweet ; 

 the Garden Warbler and the Blackcap especially have beautiful 

 songs. The nest made by members of this family is usually a 

 beautiful little structure, cup-shaped, and often domed. The 

 Tailor-bird, whose wonderful nest has already been mentioned, 

 belongs to the group. 



The Mocking-birds are natives of America. They are noted 

 for their brilliant singing and powers of mimicry hence their 

 popular name. The Common Mocking-bird (Mimus polyglottus) 

 is said to be capable of reproducing with remarkable fidelity any 

 sound it hears, from the creaking of a wheel to the song of a 

 nightingale, and will give a faithful imitation of a dog's bark, 

 the sounds of a farmyard, or the human voice. 



The familiar little Wren, distinguished by its sprightly manner 

 and upturned tail, is a member of the family Troglodytidce, which 

 has its head-quarters in tropical America. The nest is domed, 

 and often built in thick ivy, or in the middle of bushes and hedges. 

 The song is rather like that of the warblers, but much more shrill. 



The Tits, or Titmice (Parida), are a delightful family of small, 

 energetic birds found in most parts of the Old and New World, 

 with the exception of South America and Australia. There are 

 six species in Great Britain the Blue Tit, the Great Tit, the Coal 

 Tit, the Marsh Tit, the Crested Tit, and the Long-Tailed Tit. 

 They are active and noisy little birds, flitting restlessly about from 

 tree to tree, uttering their characteristic cry of " tit-tit-tit" varied 

 by curious sibilant notes. The majority of the species are non- 

 migratory, and after the nesting season often fly in flocks, frequently 

 in company with other small birds such as Golden- crested Wrens 

 and Nut-hatches. The Blue Tit (Parus cceruleus) is perhaps the 

 best known of the family from its habit of making itself quite 

 at home in gardens where there are plenty of trees, particularly 

 if it is provided with suitable food in the shape of coco-nuts, 

 brazil nuts, and pieces of fat hung from the boughs when insect 

 life is scarce in the cold months of the year. The Tit family 

 usually nest in holes in trees or crevices in walls, which they line 

 with moss, hair, wool, or fur. Sometimes, like the robin, they will 

 choose curious places for breeding, and utilise pumps, letter-boxes, 



