178 



KEARTONS' NATURE PICTURES 



BLUE TITS NKSTINO HOLE. 



to help the birds half so well as they 

 know how to help me. 



Every winter my children feed Blue 

 Tits upon the kernels of Barcelona nuts, 

 which are suspended by a piece of thread. 

 This method prevents the Great Tits from 



enjoying a monopoly, as they are liable 

 to do in the case of half a coco-nut or 

 piece of suet. They are not such accom- 

 plished gymnasts as their smaller cousins, 

 and cannot cling by their toes to the 

 kernels and chisel pieces off whilst 

 hanging upside down. 



This species nests in holes in trees, 

 banks, walls, disused pumps, and gate 

 posts as a rule, but may sometimes 

 be found occupying letter-boxes, stone 

 bottles and other odd situations. It 

 takes readily to nesting boxes. 



The structure consists of dead grass, 

 moss, hair, wool, or down, woven together 

 and lined with feathers. 



From six to nine eggs form a usual 

 clutch, but as many as ten or twelve are 

 sometimes met with. They are white in 

 ground colour, spotted with light red or 

 reddish brown. If the sitting hen be 

 disturbed she hisses like a snake, and in 

 this way sometimes succeeds in scaring 

 off juvenile egg collectors. 



