THEMSELVES AND THEIR YOUNG. 169 



and puffing in a very extraordinary manner from 

 the bottom of the hole, as soon as a finger is intro- 

 duced, 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 occasionally surprise and 

 disappoint us. Hearing an unusual voice, and 

 creeping with caution to observe the stranger from 

 which it proceeds, we perceive only our old ac- 

 quaintance, the large tomtit (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 par- 

 ticular, will often acquire or compound a note, 

 become delighted with it, and repeat it incessantly 

 while sporting about the catkins of the alder, for 

 an hour or so, then seem to forget or be weary of 

 it, and we hear it no more. 



Our tall hedge-rows and copses are frequented 

 by a very amusing little bird, the long-tailed tit- 

 mouse (parus caudatus). Our boys call it the long- 

 tailed tom-tit, long torn, poke pudding, and various 



