470 BRITISH BIRDS. 



of the forest ; the birch copses have an equal charm with the hedgerows, 

 the garden, or the fir-plantations ; whilst in the dense shrubberies, espe- 

 cially at nightfall, Blue Tits are almost sure to be found, repairing thither, 

 after exploring the deciduous trees in the neighbourhood, to roost amongst 

 the perennial foliage of the laurel, the yew, or the ivy. At dusk they 

 become exceedingly garrulous ; and as the little party wander about through 

 the dense cover they seem to disturb all the birds they meet with, if we 

 may judge from the number of bird -notes one hears from all parts of the 

 cover, as the noisy Tits wander through it. The Blue Tit usually roosts 

 amongst ivy or in yew trees ; but sometimes a whole party will fix upon 

 the warm sheltered side of a haystack in which to spend the night. 



The Blue Tit is almost omnivorous. It will eat or endeavour to eat 

 almost any thing, from a hard pear or even a turnip to a currant or a 

 cherry, from a grain of corn to the tiny seeds of the chickweed or the 

 dock. Many kinds of insects are eaten, grubs, caterpillars, beetles ; and 

 a small butterfly or a moth is often chased on the wing by these birds. In 

 winter a bone hung out in the garden is sure to attract their attention. 

 The Blue Tit is also very fond of pecking at fruit, very often being seen in 

 winter on a pear or an apple that has still remained on the trees. 



The flight of the Blue Tit is performed with rapid beats of the wings, 

 and is undulating and uncertain. Like its congeners, it rarely flies for 

 long distances, and its movements in the air are usually confined to 

 passing from one tree to another ; and very often it will go the whole 

 length of a wood without once engaging in a protracted flight. Its call- 

 notes are harsh and rapidly repeated, resembling the syllables chicka-chicka 

 chee-chee-chee, varied with a harsh churring sound almost like a hiss. It 

 has no song beyond a simple si, si, si. 



The Blue Tit seldom builds its nest before the first week in May. A 

 little earlier the birds may be often seen pulling out bits of plaster from 

 walls, and, in fact, squeezing themselves into all kinds of nooks and crannies 

 likely or unlikely to afford them a site for their home. The Blue Tit's 

 breeding-grounds are in well-wooded districts, in gardens and orchards, 

 near houses, in the holes of outhouses, and in walls. A favourite place for 

 the nest is in an old gate-post or a pump ; and the bird will return each 

 year to the same spot for the purpose of rearing its young, should it be left 

 unmolested. Mr. C. Bygrave Wharton has recorded two instances of this 

 bird nesting in holes in the ground ('Zoologist/ 1874, p. 4034, and 

 1879, p. 219). Many strange situations have been chosen by this bird 

 for nesting-sites. Scarcely any of the numberless biographies of the 

 Blue Tit fail to give us fresh instances of its peculiar choice. As soon as 

 the site is selected the nest is begun. Like all other nests built in holes, 

 it is but a poorly made structure, so loosely put together that it is difficult 

 to remove it without breaking it to pieces. The materials usually selected 



