THE BLUE TITMOUSE. 



503 



grating cry ; but as soon as the weather begins to relent, they resort to the trees, prepara- 

 tory to the labours of the summer, which, in their case, is no idle time." 



The voice of the Great Titmouse is exceedingly variable, at one time softening into a 

 kind of sonsf, and at another becomincf harsh and gratincj, resemblinfr, accordincr to some 

 persons, the sound which is given forth by a saw when being sharpened. It is rather 

 a flexible voice, and there is always a chattering element in it. 



The nest of the Great Titmouse is always made in some convenient hollow, generally 

 that of a tree, but often in the holes of old walls, and in the cavities that are formed by thick 

 gnarled roots in the sides of a bank. Hollow trees, however, are the favourite nesting- 

 places of this bird, which is able to shape the hollow to its liking, by chiselling away the 

 decaying wood with its sharp, strong beak. The materials of which the nest is made vary 

 according to the locality. Should the hollow be a deep and warm one, the bird takes very 

 little trouble about the nest, merely bringing a few feathers and mosses as a soft bed on 

 which to place the eggs. If, however, the locality be more exposed, the Titmouse builds a 

 regular nest of moss, hair, and feathers, in which to lay its eggs. There are generally from 

 eight lo twelve eggs in each nest, 

 and their colour is whitish grey, 

 covered with mottlings of a rusty 

 red, which are thickly gathered 

 towards the larger end. 



The colouring of this species 

 is very bold, and is briefly as fol- 

 lows: The top of the head and 

 throat, as far as the middle of the 

 neck, together with a rather broad 

 streak down the centre of the 

 chest and abdomen, are rich pur- 

 ple black, relieved by a spot of 

 pure white on the nape of the 

 neck, and a large flask-shaped 

 patch under each eye. The back 

 and shoulders are ashy-green, the 

 greater wing-coverts are blue- 

 black, each feather being tipped 

 with white, so as to form a bar 

 across the wings. The quill-fea- 

 thers are dark green-grey, the pri- 

 maries being edged with greyish- 

 white. The tail-feathers are the 

 same green-grey, except that the 



extreme feathers are white on their outer ends. The under parts are light sulphurous 

 yellow, and the under tail-coverts are white. The total length of the bird is not quite 

 six inches. 



GREAT TITMOUSE.— raru.t major. 



The little Blue Titmouse is one of the most familiar birds of England, as it is 

 widely spread throughout the land, and is of so bold a nature that it exhibits itself fear- 

 lessly to any observer. 



In many of its habits it resembles the last-mentioned species, but it nevertheless 

 possesses a very marked character, and has peculiarities which are all its own. As it 

 trips giancingly over the branches, it hardly looks like a bird, for its quick limbs, and 

 strong claws carry it over the twigs with such rapidity that it resembles a blue mouse 

 rather than one of the feathered tribe. Being almost exclusively an insect-eating bird, and 

 a most voracious little creature, it renders invaluable service to the agriculturist and the 

 gardener by discovering and destroying the insects which crowd upon the trees and plants 

 in the early days of spring, and which, if not removed, would effectually injure a very 

 large proportion of the fruit and produce. In the course of a single day a pair of blue Titmice 



