198 STRANGE DWELLINGS. 



made are mosses of various kinds, wool, hair, and similar sub- 

 stances, woven by them with great firmness. It is remarkable 

 that in the construction of this nest, which requires pcculiai 

 solidity, the Long-tailed Titmouse uses materials like those 

 which are employed by the humming birds, and bmds its nest 

 together with the webs of spiders, and the silken hammocks of 

 various caterpillars. The exterior of the nest is covered with 

 lichens, so that the whole edifice looks very much like a natural 

 excrescence upon the tree or bush in which it is placed, as is 

 the case with the well-known nest of the chaffinch. 



Sometimes the form of the nest is rather different from that 

 which has been mentioned, and the stmcture is flask-shaped, 

 the entrance corresponding to the neck of the flask. Now and 

 then a nest is found in which there are two openings, one near 

 tlie top in the usual position, and the other on the opposite side 

 and near the bottom. The presence of one or two apertures is 

 probably influenced by the position of the nest and the climate 

 of the locality. If the finger be introduced into the aperture, a 

 charmingly soft and warm bed of downy feathers is felt, i7i 

 which, rather than on which, the numerous eggs repose. 



The bird will build its nest in various trees, but always 

 chooses a spot where the branches are very close and the foli- 

 age dense. The gorse bush is a favourite residence of the 

 Long-tailed Titmouse, ^.nd so deeply is the nest buried in the 

 prickly branches, that it cannot be removed without the aid of 

 thick leather gloves, and a sharp, strong knife. Some skill and 

 artistic taste are rec^uired in order to secure a good specimen, 

 and it is difficult to hit the happy medium between cutting 

 away too many branches, and retaining so many that the shape 

 of the nest cannot be seen for their luxuriance. 



The number of eggs is rather variable, but is always great, 

 and on an average, some ten or twelve eggs can be found in a 

 nest. They are so small and so fragile that the novice finds 

 great difficulty in emptying them without breaking their delicate 

 shells. This task may, however, be accomplished with perfect 

 ease and safety if managed in the right way. Each egg should 

 be enveloped in repeated wrappers of silver paper, soaked in a 



