THE BLUE TIT. 415 



part of the action of the tree which went to their formation 

 is lost ; and in the case of forest trees, the wound made by 

 the removal of a large branch injures the timber, and in fruit 

 trees it hastens the decay of the tree. Insects do not gene- 

 rally deposit their eggs on the most forward and principal 

 buds ; and thus the ones which they do attack are those 

 which can be best spared spared with advantage, if the 

 destruction were to be confined to them ; and it is no exag- 

 geration to say that, in many instances, the valuable part of 

 the tree grows twice as much in the course of the year, in 

 consequence of the pruning which the inferior parts have 

 received from those birds which nip off the tainted buds for 

 the sake of the insects they contain. Among these birds, 

 especially in gardens and orchards, the blue tit holds a con- 

 spicuous place j and therefore it ought to be hailed as a 

 welcome, and cherished as a most useful, servant. 



It also has recourse to vegetable food, to the oily seeds at 

 all times when the supply of insects fails, and to grain, espe- 

 cially oats, when the ground is covered with snow, and food 

 is not to be had either in copse or field. On such occasions, 

 it draws the oat-ricks, and perching on a bush with one foot, 

 holds the grain with the other, till it has divided the husk 

 by repeated strokes of its bill. It will also attack a pea or 

 nut, but does that on the ground. The activity and resources 

 of the bird, during the inclement season, are not less inte- 

 resting than its action in the trees at other times. 



The blue tit feels the influence of the season early, and 

 although the male can hardly be said to have a song, he 

 testifies his feeling by two chirping notes, that are lively, 

 though not musical, and he is much more bustling than at 

 other times. The nest is formed in holes of trees or walls, 

 and sometimes among the thickly matted herbage at the root 

 of a bush. The body of it is composed of moss, and the 

 lining of hair or feathers. A hole, when it can be had, is 



