BLUE TIT. 203 



the destroyer of their species, chasing him in the same way 

 that Swallows do; as also Magpies, Thrushes, and any other 

 suspicious characters; and the Owl they are particularly in- 

 veterate against. They bite severely if caught, and the hen 

 bird in like manner will attack any one who molests her 

 when sitting, in the discharge of which duty she is so devoted, 

 that she will sometimes suffer herself to be taken off the 

 nest with the hand; otherwise, if the nest be disturbed in 

 her absence, she forsakes it. One has been known to sit still 

 while a part of the tree which guarded the entrance of her 

 retreat was sawn off. Another, mentioned by Yarrell, which 

 built in a box hung up against a house, kept in it while 

 carried into the house, and did not forsake it when replaced. 



When the young are hatched, both birds become very clam- 

 orous, and have even been known to fly at and attack persons 

 approaching the nest. Thev pass most of their time in trees, 

 after the manner of the other Titmice; often frequenting the 

 same locality from day to day for some time, in search of 

 food. 'So nimble are the} r ,' say the Rev. Messrs. Matthews, 

 'in this operation, that having once alighted on the stem of 

 a plant, be it ever so fragile, and though it bends from its 

 perpendicular until the end almost touches the roots, the bird 

 rarely quits his hold until he finishes his examination of the 

 leaves.' They also alight on the ground, or in a stubble 

 field, to pick up what they may have met with there, and cling 

 with perfect ease, for the like purpose, to the smooth bark 

 of a tree, a wall, or a window-frame, when they sometimes 

 tap at the window, like the familiar Redbreast, possibly looking 

 at the reflection of themselves: from these habits their claws 

 are often much worn. All their motions are extremely quick, 

 nimble, and active. In the spring they are mostly seen in 

 pairs, in the summer in families, and later on in the year, 

 occasionally, in small flocks, ^hey frequent cultivated districts, 

 and are to be seen in any and every place where timber abounds, 

 or hedge-rows exist, in greater or less abundance. They roost 

 at night in ivy, or the holes of walls and trees, and under 

 the eaves of thatched places, or in any snug corner. They 

 are the most familiar, and perhaps the most lively of the 

 genus. In severe winters they often perish from cold. 



Mr. Thompson, of Belfast, in describing the extent to which 

 these birds are capable of being tamed, speaks of one which 

 'from its familiarity and vivacity was most amusing. The 

 cage was covered with close netting, which it several times 



