98 THE BIRDS OF OUR RAMBLES. 



very like that of the Bullfinch, and the four or 

 five eggs are exactly the same in colour as those 

 of the Greenfinch. Very early in the year the 

 low sweet song of this bird is heard in the native 

 woods, and the far-sounding call-note, si-si-si, even 

 more incessantly. The food of this bird in sum- 

 mer is largely composed of insects and larvae, but 

 the most universal fare is the cone of the spruce 

 and larch. In autumn fruit is eaten, and in winter 

 various seeds. After the young are reared the 

 Crossbill flocks, and wanders far and wide for the 

 remainder of the year. It then visits our southern 

 woods and fields, trooping from tree to tree in 

 actions like those of the Titmice, creeping about 

 the branches with little show of fear at our close 

 observation. 



With a glance at the Titmice we bring our list 

 of the smaller birds of the woodlands to a close. 

 scotch vme Of the half-dozen British species, the CRESTED 

 TITMOUSE (Parus cristatus) and the GREAT TIT- 

 MOUSE (P. major] are perhaps the most attached 

 to the woods. All may be found within them, 

 summer and winter alike, skipping about the twigs 

 and branches and enlivening the leafy solitudes 

 with their harsh yet very characteristic notes ; but 

 these two species, the former especially, habitually 

 dwell within them. The Crested Titmouse, dis- 

 tinguished from all others by its long black and 

 white crest, is one of the rarest and most local of 

 British birds, attached to a few favoured pine 

 forests in Scotland ; but on the other hand the 

 Great Titmouse, the largest of the group, and 

 readily distinguished by the broad black stripe 

 along the centre of the breast and belly, is very 

 widely dispersed. The loud clear note of the 



