138 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. 



ally placed in holes in walls or trees, and the birds are 

 almost omnivorous in reference to food. The Long- 

 tailed Tit, on the contrary, as its name implies, has the tail 

 long and graduated; three pairs of the tail-feathers not 

 only differing from each other in length, but all of them 

 also shorter than the other three pairs ; the legs and toes 

 rather long and slender ; the nest of the most perfect kind, 

 oval in shape, domed at the top, with a small hole at the 

 upper part of one side, by which access is gained to the 

 chamber within ; the nest is generally fixed in the midst of 

 a thick bush ; and the bird is more decidedly insectivorous." 



This bird is found more or less frequently in all the 

 wooded districts of this country. In the southern and 

 western counties of England, from Sussex to Cornwall, it 

 is common, frequenting plantations, shrubberies, and 

 hedgerows where the trees are tall, and also gardens 

 and orchards. The food consists almost exclusively of 

 various insects and their larvae, for which the birds search 

 with considerable persistence and activity. 



The nest, to which allusion has already been made, is a 

 perfect specimen of ingenuity and care, and is in all 

 probability the most admirable example of bird archi- 

 tecture to be found in this country. The writer has 

 examined some which seemed really marvellous in their 

 strength, comfort, and appearance ; the outside is fre- 

 quently adorned with scraps of bright-coloured lichen and 

 moss, and the interior thoroughly lined with down and soft 

 feathers. The number of eggs varies ; ten or twelve are 

 commonly laid, but occasionally even more : they are 

 small, white, and marked with a few faint specks of red ; 

 often, however, they are plain white. During the first 

 autumn and winter the entire family keep together. The 



