THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON 



of this species visit us from other areas and in noisy 

 bands invade the trees and gardens. Often the little 

 blue mites may be watched from our windows, searching 

 the chrysanthemum bushes and the tall, fast-withering 

 sunflowers, or actively flitting about the trees, clinging 

 in every attitude to the slender extremities of the twigs, 

 and answering each other with merry twittering cries. 

 Then a bone or bit of suet hung in the back garden, 

 be that garden ever so small, will attract the Blue Tit 

 almost without fail, and the tiny visitor will afford endless 

 amusement by its acrobatic movements as it picks a meal. 

 It is one of the most nimble of birds, and may often be 

 seen holding a big seed or a scrap of suet in its feet the 

 better to tear it in pieces with its strong bill. The way 

 it will bore into an apple or a pear is astonishing. The 

 food of this Titmouse consists of insects and larvae, small 

 seeds, fruit, and any unconsidered trifles of animal 

 matter that come its way. In the pairing season more 

 especially it may be heard to utter a string of twittering 

 notes, something like chicka chic-ka-kee-kee-kee. Its 

 call-note is an oft-repeated si-si-si, and when disturbed 

 at the nest it hisses in a most alarming way. The Blue 

 Titmouse seems to pair for life, and will yearly return to 

 nest in a certain spot. It is double-brooded, laying in 

 April and June. Its nest is invariably made under cover, 

 in a hole of some kind, in a tree, wall, post, stump, flower- 

 pot, pump, or other singular spot, more rarely in the ground 

 itself. It is a carelessly made cup of moss, dry grass, and 

 leaves, matted together with wool and hair, and lined 

 with feathers. The six to ten eggs are white, freckled 

 and spotted with light red. It is a courageous little 

 creature at the nest, and will bite fiercely in defence of 

 its home. 



The colours of the Blue Titmouse are distributed in a 

 somewhat eccentric way. The adult has the general 

 colour of the upper parts from the nape yellowish green ; 

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