THE LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE. 225 



The bird is readily tamed, as may be seen by the following anecdote related by Mr. 

 Thompson. 



"One of the 'Falls,' when let out of the cage in summer, roosted upon the top ; but in 

 winter, although in a warm room, selected the hottest place in which it could remain safely for 

 the night, namely, under the fender, a locality which afforded it at the same time sufficient 

 space and shelter. This bird, from its familiarity and vivacity, was most amusing. The ca°-e 

 was covered with close netting, which it several times cut through, thereby effecting its escape 

 into the room. It then flew to the children, and having taken hold of a piece of bread or cake 

 in the hand of the youngest, would not forego the object of its attack, although shaken with 

 the greatest force the child could exert ; indeed, the latter was so persecuted on one occasion for 

 a piece of apple, that she ran crying out of the apartment. It was particularly fond of sugar. 



" Confined in the same cage with this bird were some other species, and among them a red- 

 breast, which it sometimes annoyed so much as to bring upon its head severe chastisement. 

 A favorite trick was to pull the feathers out of its fellow-prisoners. A young willow wren 

 was sadly tormented in this way. A similar attempt was made on a song-thrush introduced 

 into its domicile, but it was successfully repelled. This mischievous Tit escaped out of 

 doors several times, but returned without being sought for." 



The two little birds described below, the Rufous-belled Titmouse and the Yellow-cheeked 

 Titmouse, are among the most striking examples of this pretty group, the one for its bold and 

 conspicuous crest, and the other for the curious coloring of the head and neck. 



The Yellow-cheeked Titmouse inhabits several parts of Asia, and is mostly found 

 among the northwestern Himalayas, where it is rather abundant. In its habits it resembles 

 the ordinary Titmouse of Europe. The nest of this species is constructed of moss, hair, and 

 fibres, and is lined softly with feathers. The position in which it is placed is usually a cavity 

 at the bottom of some hollow stump, generally a decaying oak, and it contains four or five 

 eggs of a delicate white blotched with brownish spots. The coloring of this bird is rather 

 peculiar and decidedly bold. The top of the head, the crest, a streak below the eye, and a 

 broad band reaching from the chin to the extremity of the abdomen, are deep jetty-black. 

 The cheeks are light yellow, as is the whole of the tinder surface of the body, with the excep- 

 tion of the flanks, which take a greener hue. The wings are gray, mottled with black and 

 white, and the tail is black with a slight edging of olive-green. 



The Rufous-bellied Titmouse inhabits Southern India and Nepal, and cannot be con- 

 sidered as a rare bird. In this pretty creature the head, the crest, and the throat are jet- 

 black, contrasting boldly with the pure white of the ear-coverts and the back of the neck. 

 The back, wings, and tail are ashen-gray, washed with a perceptible tinge of blue, and 

 the abdomen is reddish-gray, as are the edges of the primary and secondary quill-feathers 

 of the wing. 



The Long-tailed Titmouse is familiarly known throughout Europe, and is designated 

 under different titles, according to the locality in which it resides, some of its popular names 

 being derived from its shape, and others from its crest. In some parts of Europe it is called 

 "Long Tom," while in others it goes by the name of "Bottle-crested Tit," or "Poke-pud- 

 ding," the latter word being a provincial rendering of the useful ordinary apparatus termed 

 a pudding-bag. 



The coloring of this species is as follows : The upper part of the head, the cheeks, the 

 throat, and the whole of the under surface are grayish-white, warming into a rosy hue upon 

 the sides, flanks, and under tall-coverts. A broad stripe of deep black passes over the eye 

 and ear-coverts, and joins a large triangular patch of the same jetty hue, which extends from 

 the shoulders as far as the upper tail-coverts. The shoulders, the scapula lies, and the lower 

 part of the back are washed with a decided tinge of a ruddy hue. The wings are mostly black, 

 with the exception of the tertiary quill-feathers, which are edged with white. The long 



Vol. n.— 29. 



