black-headed titmouse {Parus friiigillago, now major), 

 and the marsh titmouse {Parus palustris), all resort, 

 at times, to buildings ; and in hard weather par- 

 ticularly. The great titmouse, driven by stress of 

 weather, much frequents houses, and, in deep snows, 

 I have seen this bird, while it hung with its back 

 downwards (to my no small delight and admira- 

 tion), draw straws lengthwise from out the eaves of 

 thatched houses, in order to pull out the flies that 

 were concealed between them, and that in such num- 

 bers that they quite defaced the thatch, and gave it 

 a ragged appearance. 



The blue titmouse, or nun, is a great frequenter 

 of houses, and a general devourer. Besides insects, 

 it is very fond of flesh ; for it frequently picks bones 

 on dunghills : it is a vast admirer of suet, and haunts 

 butchers' shops. When a boy, I have known twenty 

 in a morning caught with snap mouse-traps, baited 

 with tallow or suet. It will also pick holes in apples 

 left on the ground, and will be well entertained with 

 the seeds on the head of a sunflower. The blue, 

 marsh, and great titmice will, in very severe weather, 

 carry away barley and oat straws from the sides of 

 ricks. 



How the wheatear and whinchat support them- 

 selves in winter cannot be so easily ascertained, since 

 they spend their time on wild heaths and warrens ; 

 the former especially, where there are stone quar- 

 ries : most probably it is that their maintenance 



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