means, save a forcible ejection with the hand, will induce him 

 to leave it, against the entrance of which he will fight fiercely, 

 making at the same time a singular hissing noise. Amongst 

 many most interesting instances, confirmatory of the fact, 

 the two following are kindly furnished me by T. C. Hey- 

 sham, Esq. : — " A few years ago, when upon an Entomologi- 

 cal excursion, wishing to examine the decayed stump of a 

 tree which was broken to pieces for that purpose, and the 

 fragments dispersed to a considerable distance by a severe 

 blow, a Blue Titmouse was found sitting upon fourteen eggs 

 in a small cavity of the root ; notwithstanding the above se- 

 vere shock, it remained immoveable till forcibly taken off the 

 nest." 



" Early this spring, a pair had taken possession of a hole 

 in a tree where the Pied Flycatcher had regularly built for 

 the last four years, and being anxious it should continue to do 

 so, the nest and eggs were removed, the latter to the number 

 of sixteen ; in defiance of all these annoyances, the female 

 still kept possession of the hole, where I saw it repeatedly af- 

 terwards, for several weeks, sitting upon the bare wood. I 

 have myself known one continue building its nest, for many 

 days together, under the handle of a pump, although its la- 

 bours were daily destroyed by its action. The Blue Titmouse 

 builds its nest of grass, moss, hair, and feathers ; it is placed, 

 for the most part, in holes of trees and old walls ; the eggs 

 are from seven to eighteen in number ; I believe sometimes 

 even more. I have always been accustomed to receive with 

 jealousy and caution any of those reports in which most of 

 bird-nesters seem so much to delight, regarding the great 

 number of eggs laid by some of our smaller birds, never hav- 

 ing myself met with a nest containing more than eight or 

 nine eggs : it is, however, a curious fact, that the Blue Tit- 

 mouse will lay twice that number, as in the instance given by 

 Mr. Heysham. I have one, from authority upon which I 

 can place dependence, in which the nest contained eighteen 



