WILES OF BIRDS. 119 



ducement to our idle bat-fowling boys to bring baskets 

 of poor toms' heads to our church-warden's door. 



The wiles and stratagems of every creature are de- 

 serving of attention, because they are, for the most part, 

 the impulse of the weak and feeble, instinctive efforts 

 to preserve their own existence, or more generally to 

 secure or defend that of their offspring. Few are able 

 to effect these objects by bodily power ; but all crea- 

 tures probably exert a faculty of some kind, to ward 

 off injury from their young, though not observed by, or 

 manifested to us. This poor little blue torn-tit, which has 

 neither beak, claws, nor any portion of strength to de- 

 fend itself from the weakest assailant, will nevertheless 

 make trial by menace to scare the intruder from its 

 nest. It builds almost universally in the hole of a wall, 

 or a tree ; and its size enables it to creep through so 

 small a crevice, that it is pretty well secured from all 

 annoyances, but those of bird nesting boys ; and these 

 little plunderers the sitting bird endeavors to scare 

 away, by hissing and puffing in a very extraordinary 

 manner from the bottom of the hole, as soon as a finger 

 is introduced, and so perfectly unlike the usual voice 

 of a bird, that many a young intruder is deterred 

 from prosecuting any farther search, lest he should rouse 

 the vengeance of some lurking snake or adder. 



They who have seen much of birds, and attended to 

 their actions, will in general be certain of the creature 

 that flits past, by the manner of its flight ; or that utters 

 its note unseen by the peculiarity of voice ; but the 

 tribe of titmice (parus), especially in the spring of the 

 year, emit such a variety of sounds, that they will oc 

 casionally surprise and disappoint us. Hearing an un- 

 usual voice, and creeping with caution to observe the 

 stranger from which it proceeds, we perceive only our 

 old acquaintance, the large tom-tit (parus major), search- 

 ing for food amid the lichens on the bough of an apple- 

 tree. This bird, and that little dark species the " coal," 

 or " colemouse " (parus ater), in particular, will often 

 acquire or compound a note, become delighted with it, 

 and repeat it incessantly while sporting about the cat- 



