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The Titmice are a very active and fertile race, lay- 

 ing from eighteen to twenty eggs at one hatch. They 

 feed on fruit, seeds, and insects, and a few on flesh ; 

 most of them are fond of the brains of other birds, 

 which they get at by cleaving the skull of such as 

 they find dead. Several are natives of Britain, and 

 are an extremely entertaining bird in captivity, but 

 are dangerous to introduce into an aviary, on account 

 of their cruelty and boldness. 



The natural history of the Swallow is extremely in- 

 teresting, and has been the cause of much contro- 

 versy among authors 3 but we are still in much doubt 

 respecting their manners and habits. A few species 

 visit this country in the summer, and skim over moist 

 and wet places in search of insects, which they dex- 

 terously take on the wing. 



GOATSUCKERS (CAPRIMULGUS). 



The birds of this family (the last in the Linnaean 

 arrangement) have their mouths of extraordinary 

 size, opening far beyond the eyes, which enable 

 them to take large insects on the wing. They sel- 

 dom appear in the day time, except when disturbed, 

 or in dark cloudy weather. They lay two eggs, 

 which they deposit on the naked ground. The voice 

 of the European one resembles the noise made by 

 a large spinning wheel. 



N2 



