THE ZooLocist—APRIL, 1876. 4873 
phalanx of starlings, and uttering his familiar ery perches on some pollard 
tree in a hedgerow; others, obedient to the summons, following their leader, 
“a blackening train o’ craes.” The starlings are never mistaken ; they trust 
to their own perceptive faculties, whether of sight or smell. The rooks, too, 
are never deceived ; they know their guides are infallible-—H. Newman.] 
Blackeap’s Head in Winter.—It is certain that all male blackcaps do 
not lose their black caps in winter; indeed I doubt if any lose them after 
having once obtained them. It is also certain that a portion of the young 
males, particularly in certain countries, retain their red heads to the age of 
nine or ten months; and I think it will probably be found, when further 
investigations are made, that they even breed in that plumage.—J. H. 
Gurney, jun. 
Quarrels of Titmice.—A remarkable incident happened at Sandy, four 
miles from here, this morning, in presence of my son. Two blue tits were 
- engaged in a furious battle, and so intent were they in the struggle that, 
after watching them some time, he sent a lad in his employ to pick them 
up, when one of them was found to be dead, and the other so exhausted 
that it died in his hand. So tenacious was their hold on each other that it 
was a difficult matter to separate them without tearing the skin, as they 
fought with both beak and claws, and the dead bird was found to have fast 
hold of the other one’s eyelid with its beak, the claws of both being firmly 
fixed in each other.—J. King; Langford Road, Biggleswade, February 23, 
1876. 
Variety of Blue Titmouse.—A beautiful variety of the blue titmouse has 
been flying about here during the present winter. The whole plumage, as 
far as I can see, is of the uniform yellow colour usually found on the breast 
of the blue titmouse, excepting a few feathers about the head, which are of 
the usual blue colour. When I first saw it I took it to be an escaped canary, 
but on watching it I found it had all the actions of a titmouse. Not then 
being able to get very near to it, I was not quite satisfied as to its identity ; 
but meeting, a few days after, the gentleman in whose grounds I saw it, 
I asked him if he had seen a canary about his garden lately: he then told 
me he had seen a yellow bird; that it was not a canary but a “tomtit,” as he 
had plainly observed some blue markings about the head, and that he had 
seen it about during the whole of the winter. I have seen the bird again 
to-day ; it allowed me to approach nearer than I have been able to do before, 
and I could plainly see the blue about the head, and clearly identified the bird 
as the lJue titmouse.— Stephen Clogg ; East Looe, Cornwall, Feb. 21, 1876. 
Great Tits eating Bees.—A short time back, in the ‘ Field’ newspaper, 
I saw some mention of the great tit eating bees, but as I had not time then 
to state my own experience, there will perhaps be no harm if I now do so 
in the ‘ Zoologist.’ Here these birds have long been known to frequent the 
beehives to get the bees; it is during the winter and early spring that they 
