Birds by Land and Sea 



acrobats to pass a portion of a winter day in my 

 company. They are, as Gilbert White noticed, 

 " vast admirers of suet," and a finch-trap baited 

 with a nice white lump of this delicacy never fails 

 to incite Tomakin to a joyous onslaught. A 

 ringing "ping ! ping ! pi-i-i-ng ! " announces the dis- 

 covery ; but u clap " goes the shutter, and the little 

 prisoner is left to compare a frugal freedom with 

 captivity and suet. However, he gets a large 

 liberty for the remainder of the day, and dines like 

 an alderman before being dismissed ere sundown to 

 find more natural quarters. The bird shown in the 

 photograph had dined " not wisely, but too well," and 

 under the circumstances distinctly refused to perch 

 to have his photograph taken, so that I was forced 

 to let him have his way, and go forth to the world 

 hanging by one claw as a warning to all whom it 

 may concern of the depraving influence of beef suet. 



Where do blue-tits sleep ? I notice often that 

 some of my early morning visitors in the winter 

 have their tails askew, as if their sleeping apartments 

 had not been over-spacious. One which I kept 

 overnight in a sudden frost, stowed itself closely in 

 a corner of the cage until it bethought itself of a 

 small gallipot in another corner, when it entered it 

 and nestled down as if it had been a nest, sleeping 

 embedded in a liberal lining of ants' eggs, which 

 had remained over from supper. 



The great-tit likewise is amenable to the at- 

 tractions of suet, and has also at times to bear me 



56 



