THE SINGING BIRDS. 317 



near me that I was enabled, without difficulty, to knock it down with the ramrod of my gun. This 

 bird makes its nest in a hollow pine tree. The under portion of it consists of moss, which, without 

 any kind of arrangement, is stuffed into the hole. Above this again, is a good portion of the hair of 

 the lemming ; at times, indeed, pieces of the skin of that animal. The eggs, which are from seven 

 to nine in number, are white, and marked with light red spots and blotches. In shape they resemble 

 those of the Common Creeper." 



THE MARSH TIT. 



The Marsh Tit (Partis palustris) is of a reddish grey on the upper part of the body, and 

 greyish white beneath ; the head, as far as the nape, is deep black, the chin greyish black, and the 

 region of the chest white. The eye is dark brown, the beak black, and the foot lead-grey. The 

 body is four inches and a half long, and the span of the wings eight inches ; the wing measures two 

 inches and a half, and the tail two inches. 



7'he Marsh Tit inhabits the central portions of Europe. In the extreme south and north it is 

 replaced by nearly allied species. Everywhere this bird frequents marshy localities, low-lying 

 meadows, and moist woodland districts, preferring clumps of bushes or willows to lofty trees. 

 Such as inhabit Great Britain remain throughout the entire year, but those occupying more 

 northern latitudes wander farther south at the approach of winter. 



Mr. Yarrell informs us that the Marsh Tit is common about London, and with the Blue, Cole, 

 Long-tailed, and Great Tits, has been observed in Kensington Gardens, and that these birds are 

 probably attracted to this spot by the insect food to be found about old trees in various stages of 

 decay, a London atmosphere being unfavourable to healthy vegetation. 



" The Marsh Tit," he tells us, " from London westward may be traced to Cornwall and 

 Wales." In Ireland, according to Mr. Thompson, this bird has been killed in the Phoenix Park near 

 Dublin, in the county of Kildare, in the vicinity of Belfast, and in the county of Donegal ; from 

 London northward through Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, and Lincolnshire." It is also abundant in 

 Derbyshire and Yorkshire ; it is found in Durham and Northumberland ; and Mr. Macgilliviay saw 

 it near Edinburgh. In his work on "British Birds" he says: — "This species is not nearly so 

 common in the southern districts of Scotland as the Cole Tit, and I am not aware of its having been 

 met with farther north than Fifeshire. Although named the Marsh Tit, it does not confine itself to 

 marshy places, but examines the trees and bushes growing in the driest soil, as well as those of 

 swampy ground ; and I have seen it alight on herbaceous plants, especially thistles. Its flight is 

 rapid and undulated, all its motions are quick and abrupt, and it creeps along the twigs, flutters, and 

 throws itself into all sorts of positions. Its food consists chiefly of insects, but in autumn and winter 

 it also eats the seeds of various syngenesian and other plants, and will pick at the flesh of a dead 

 animal. It remains all the year with us, and does not seem to shift its quarters much. Its ordinary 

 cry is a shrill cheep, but it also emits a variety of chattering notes, and in spring has a kind of song, 

 which may be expressed by the syllables ' Chicka, chicka, chee !' Towards the end of the season 

 the little flocks disperse, separate from the individuals of other species with which they have 

 associated in winter, and betake themselves to the dense woods, or to the marshy wooded borders of 

 streams and pools, the chief attraction to which seems to be the decayed willows, of which the 

 crevices afford an abundant supply of insect food." 



Montague remarks that " the eggs of all the species of Titmouse whose eggs are known are 

 similar in colour, and only to be distinguished from each other by size and weight. Those of the 

 Nuthatch, Creeper, Wren, Yellow Wren, Wood Wren, and Chiffchaff all agree in their markings, 

 and are so like those of the Titmice that it is scarcely possible to separate them with certainty 



