THE TITS. 13 



again. Care should be taken that they do not stow away 

 enough of their food to let it get offensive ; for they are of 

 provident habits and will hide away scraps as readily as a 

 dog. Worthless objects are also secreted with care ; a pair 

 of Blue Magpies at the Calcutta Zoo some years ago used 

 to amuse us much by their methodical way of folding 

 pieces of paper and putting them away. 



THE TITS. 



The Tits are now-a-days classed near the Crows, and in 

 many of their habits may be called Jays in miniature. 

 They resemble Jays in shape, though not so big as Spar- 

 rows ; male and female are alike, and the young only a 

 little duller ; and the nostrils are covered at the root 

 with bristles, as in the Crows. Tits are as omnivorous in 

 their way as Crows are, and have the same tricks of hold- 

 ing down their food with their feet, and of storing away 

 superfluities. But they usually build in holes, unlike 

 most of the Crow tribe. Most of the Tits in India are 

 hill-birds, and will be recognized as a group by many 

 people, the family being so familar at home. Almost 

 all the species are different, however ; here there is only 

 room to allude to two. 



THE YELLOW-CHEEKED TIT (Machlolophus xaniho- 

 genys) is a thick-set little bird about five inches long with 

 a full crest, black throat, and yellow face and breast, 

 the latter marked with a black central streak ; the back 

 is olive-green and the wings and tail slaty-grey. 



This bird is found throughout the Himalayas at mod- 

 erate elevations and breeds in April and May, laying 

 four or five red-spotted white eggs in a hole. It is the 



