﻿TITMOUSE. 543 



Parus csruleus, Lin. Syji.l. p. 341. N°5. — Scop. ann. 1. p. 163. N" 244.— 10. 



Kram. el. 379. N° 3— Rail Syn. p. 74. A. ^.—Muller, p. 34. N° 285. +" BLUE Tl 



— Frifch. pi. 14. 

 La Mefange bleue, Brif. orn. iii. p. 544. N° 2. — Buf. oif. v. p. 413.— PA enl.. 



iii. f. 2. 

 Blue Titmoufe, Albin. i. pi. tfl.— JVill. orn. p. 242. pi. 43.-- 2?r. Zee/, i. 



N° 163. pi. 57. f. 2.—Ara. Zool. 



Br. Muf. Lev. Muf. 



ENGTH four inches and a half. Bill four lines and a Description,, 

 half, and blackifh : crown blue : forehead, and whole fide 

 of the head, white : from the bill, through the eyes, runs a nar- 

 row line of black to the hind head, which, as well as the hind 

 part of the neck, is black, and is continued in a line of black to 

 the bill, bounding the lower part of the white on the fides of the 

 head: the back is yellowifh green: wing coverts blue: quills 

 black, edged with dufky : tail blue ; outer edge paler ; the two 

 middle feathers longeft : the under parts of the body yellowifh. 

 white : legs and claws black. 



This beautiful fpecies is well known throughout Europe, and Place and 

 is found to be very deftruclive to our gardens and orchards, by 

 biting off" the buds of the bloflbms, in fearch of infects ; yet, as 

 Albin obferves, is ufeful in another manner, in deftroying young 

 caterpillars, and eggs of thofe infects which deftroy the fruit. 



The female makes a nefl in the hollows of walls or trees, lining 

 it well with feathers ; laying a great number of white fmal-1 eggs, 

 at lead fourteen or fifteen, though fome fay as far as twenty- 

 two -, but hatches only once a year, except the firft neft is plun- 

 dered. It eafily forfakes its neft, even if the eggs are touched, 



or 



Manners. 



