4298 THE ZooLocist—JANUARY, 1875. 
managed by plucking out the feathers a month or so after the bird has 
recovered from a moult. The new feathers will be white. This, however, 
is a cruel practice, the adoption of which I by no means recommend. 
Besides, it is hardly worth the trouble, as feathers so produced are so 
weak and sickly as to break off or fall out with the least violence.” —George 
J. Porritt; Huddersfield, December 2, 1874. 
Whitethroat’s Nest twelve feet from Ground.—I was much surprised a 
short time since at discovering a whitethroat’s nest at the extreme top of a 
whitethorn bush on Clifton Down, and fully twelve feet from the ground. 
The bush in question is situated in one of the most frequented parts of the 
down, and inasmuch as there are plenty of brambles, nettles and low 
herbage within a short distance in every direction, it is very remarkable 
that the birds should have deviated so far from their usual habits as to 
select such a conspicuous and elevated position for their nest. As it con- 
tained young, the old birds made frequent journeys to and from it, and 
were constantly flying about and alighting close to me, so that I had ample 
opportunity of satisfying myself as to the species. In my birdsnesting 
days of yore I have found some hundreds of nests of this bird, but I have 
never before known one placed at an inaccessible height.—Mareus 8S. C. 
Rickards. 
Food of the Blue Tit,—I have been almost daily watching these active 
little creatures feeding on the fruit in the garden, and whatever may be 
their diet at other times, fruit is undoubtedly their chief food in the autumn. 
I am not going to say a word in disparagement of the little restless bluecap; 
T know his usefulness too well for that. An old pear tree, the fruit of which 
T allowed to remain ungathered, has been daily visited by this tit, and as 
long as the pears lasted it was scarcely ever untenanted by some of them. 
They usually, almost invariably, attack the pears round the stalk, and the 
consequence is that the pear frequently falls down before it is half eaten, in 
which case I noticed that they immediately commenced a fresh one; that 
was when there were plenty on the tree; now they are nearly all gone I see 
they feed on the fallen ones. Apples are just as much sought after. It is 
my practice, when looking over the stored fruit, to throw out the damaged 
ones for the birds; and when there is snow on the ground it is interesting 
to watch the blackbirds, &., come to the feeding-place; they soon find it 
out, and in severe weather a goodly company assemble to the banquet, tits 
amongst the number. If the snow be deep, I sweep a space before putting 
the food down. I have frequently watched the blue tits feeding on the 
Indian corn (maize) that was given to the pheasants in the pens. The tits 
pass easily through the wire netting, and, taking a grain in their beaks, fly 
up with it to the top of the pens or to the perches, and then, by holding the 
corn with their feet, they peck away at the germinating portion and extract 
it; having done so, they let it fall and pass in again for another, which is 
