106 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. 



careful and persistent in its scrutiny of the bough upon 

 which it is engaged, running nimbly round the under sur- 

 face and the sides; and then, when its curiosity is satisfied,, 

 proceeding with a short fluttering flight to the next. 



The Cole Tit is a very sociable little bird, and may 

 frequently be seen in the company of Golden Crests, 

 Lesser Red-polls, and similar small tree-frequenting birds, 

 roving about in quest of food. This consists principally 

 of insects, caterpillars, and beech masts, and seeds of various 

 kinds. Mr. Tegetmeier gives an instance in the Field of 

 its feeding on filberts. 



This bird remains with us all the year round, and 

 seems to be very little affected by cold weather, as it is 

 found in mid-winter in the most northerly parts of Scot- 

 land, and even in higher latitudes. 



The flight is seldom a very extended one. The motion of 

 the wings may be described as " a continual fluttering " 

 and the movement altogether weak, short, and unsteady. 

 In the winter-time these birds are fond of roosting in leafy 

 evergreens and the protected sides of haystacks. 



The bird makes no pretensions to vocal proficiency ; the 

 note is not very harmonious indeed, it may rather be 

 called harsh and shrill it sounds very much like the 

 syllables " che-chee, che-chee.^ When a number of these 

 birds are engaged in searching for food the shrill cheeping 

 note is perpetually uttered. In addition to this note, the 

 bird, when sitting in its nest, makes an unpleasant hissing 

 noise suggestive of snakes if molested or too closely ap- 

 proached. 



The nest is very frequently placed in a hole in a tree, 

 and as a rule at a less height from the ground than that 

 of the other Titmice; but various places are made use 



