BIRD LIFE IN LEIGH WOODS 



1 103 



with the green foH- 

 age surrounding the 

 nest. 



The Tit family is 

 well represented in 

 the woods. The 

 Great Tit is con- 

 stantly uttering his 

 " see-saw " strain, 

 and is easily dis- 

 tinguished by his 

 size. The Blue and 

 Cole Tits are as tiny 

 and active as mice 

 among the branches. 

 The former can be 

 recognised by the 

 prevailing blue 

 colour, and it has a 

 narrow dark streak 

 down the middle of 

 the breast. The 

 Cole Tit is of a 

 much duller plu- 

 mage, and has a 

 small white spot on 

 the nape of the 

 neck. The Long- 

 tailed Tit is the 

 most delightful of 

 all the species, and 

 can be readily 

 known by its tiny 

 body and very long 

 tail. The general 

 colour at a distance 

 is black and white, 

 but at closer quar- 

 ters a rosy colour is 

 seen on the back 



and flanks. Very fortunate are we when 

 the nest is discovered. It is one of the 

 marvels of bird architecture, generally 

 placed in a thorn bush, dome-Hke in 

 shape, and completely closed except for 

 the small entrance hole near the top. 

 The interior is hned with myriads of 

 tiny feathers. 



The smallest of European birds, the 

 Golden-crested Wren, though not un- 

 common in the woods, may easily escape 

 notice, as it haunts the tops of trees, 

 preferring firs and larches, where it dili- 

 gently searches for its insect food. In 

 plumage it is of a yellowish olive-green, 

 with the golden crest on the head. 



WHERE PHILOMEL SINGS. 



The Nuthatch and Tree-creeper haunt 

 the Nightingale Valley all the year round. 

 The former is a most cheery little fellow, 

 always busy, and always happ\'. He 

 climbs up or down the trunks of trees 

 with equal facihty, and you may hear and 

 see him in the fall of the year, hammering 

 away at a nut which he has placed in a 

 crevice of the bark of a tree. Just now he 

 is as busy as a mason, plastering up with 

 mud the entrance hole to his nest, until it 

 meets with his approval as to size and 

 security for his family. The Nuthatch 

 has a few song cries, all of which are 

 loud and distinct. One of these is a 

 clear wliistle, slurred upward in the inter- 



