Birds by Land and Sea 



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spiking through the snow ; to buds which, in 

 certain sheltered corners, tentatively thrust out their 

 white nightcaps, and are evidently " lying awake " 

 with a view to an early rising ; to a disposition in 

 the rooks to separate into pairs, and, on the part of 

 the males, to fight off any enterprising gentleman 

 who would fain air his graces before the lady elect. 

 The song-thrush is in full voice again, leading up 

 to the wild 'shout of his kinsman, the stormcock, 

 which will ere long startle the countryside. The 

 great-tit runs his double-noted song out to in- 

 ordinate length, and if you stop to interview him, 

 will probably tell you to " Git along! git along!" 

 with the accent on the "long," and a cadence which 

 suggests that the "git" is formed by an inward, 

 and the " long" by an outward breath. The roving 

 blue-tit also " pings " away with a note which is 

 almost a word, and falls little short of " Spring ! 

 spring / spri-i-i-ng / " 



Both the blue-tit and the great-tit are daily 

 almost hourly visitors to my garden during the 

 winter months. Shortly after peep o' day in the 

 tardy, winter mornings the energetic " ping / ping/" 

 of the former may be heard as the birds approach in 

 small companies, flitting systematically from tree to 

 tree, and calling to one another as they canvass the 

 bare branches for the minute eggs, chrysalids, and 

 the like, which go to make up their winter bill of 

 fare. As such delicate morsels are often located 

 on the under surface of the boughs, the tits have 



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