100 BIRDS' NESTS. 



Fig. 1), the Cole Tit (Parus ater), the Creeper 

 (Certhiafamiliaris), all have nests and eggs so 

 closely resembling those of the Blue Tit, that 

 they are scarcley to be discriminated except by 

 watching the parent birds while leaving the 



nest. 



i 



LONG-TAILED TIT. Parus caudatus. 



IE in the course of his rambles, the egg- 

 collector should observe an oval mass of soft 

 green moss skilfully intermatted, woven to- 

 gether with cobwebs, decorated with scales 

 of silvery lichen, and covered above and on 

 all sides with the same beautiful material, with 

 the exception of a small hole on the least 

 exposed part, through which he cannot intro- 

 duce more than two of his fingers without 

 damaging the structure, he may be pretty 

 sure he has discovered a nest of the Long- 

 tailed Tit. He will not, of course, disturb it, 

 but if he waits till the brood is fledged, he 

 will do well to cut down the branch in which 



