2i8 BIRDS 



black as lie is sometimes painted, during the 

 greater portion of the year lie is dexterously 

 searching and devouring the injurious Wireworm. 

 Rooks are very sagacious birds, as almost every 

 one knows. They are predatory, too, and often 

 rob the ubiquitous Sparrows of the crusts and 

 tit-bits they have secured from a neighbouring 

 dust-bin ! 



All the Titmice are interesting and extremely 

 useful birds, but the Great Tit or Oxeye is perhaps 

 the most engaging of them all. I can only refer 

 in this essay to the nature of his voice — his 

 mimicry. Just recently I heard one fine yellow- 

 breasted specimen uttering, if you please, the 

 notes of the delicate little Chiff Chaff — the har- 

 binger of Spring. It was in a favourite copse of 

 mine, and had I not seen the Tit I certainly should 

 have been grossly deceived as to the identity of 

 the bird responsible for the song. 



This same bird then changed the tenor of its 

 mimicry, and " pinked " like the sprightly Chaf- 

 finch. I was then surprised to hear the clever 

 musician before me utter a few strains of the 

 Robin's song, and he finished his performance 

 with the human-like whistle of the Nuthatch! 

 Lo and behold, too, a Nuthatch answered the 

 summons, and appeared on a fine oak a few feet 

 from the mimic! He seemed in sore straits, and 

 chirped and whistled until he was tired, then, 



