MARSH TIT. 373 
woods, but apparently preferrmg shorter brushwood to 
high trees, occasionally visiting orchards and gardens. The 
Marsh Tit, also, like its generic companions, remains in 
this country throughout the year; is, like them, active 
and sprightly in its habits, flitting from place to place, 
feeding on insects in their various stages, is said to be an 
enemy to bees, and when in the garden, may be frequently 
seen feeding on the seeds of the sunflower; is observed, 
also, to be partial to the seeds of the thistle; and in 
winter, according to Mr. Selby, it will eat stale flesh. 
This bird makes its nest in holes in old willows, and 
in the low scrubby stocks of pollard trees that have been 
headed down, taking considerable pains in enlarging any 
suitable cavity. Colonel Montagu says he has seen the 
Marsh Tit excavating the decayed part of such trees, and 
artfully carrying the chips in its bill to some distance, 
always working downwards, and making the bottom for 
the reception of the nest larger than the entrance. The 
nest is compactly formed of moss and wool, lined with 
the soft seed-down of the willow. The eggs are from five 
to eight in number, measuring seven lies and a half in 
length, by six lines in breadth, white, spotted with red. 
The female exhibits great attachment to her nest, and is 
not easily induced to forsake it. The call-note of this 
species is a single sharp chirp, like that of the other Tits, 
and this bird is only to be distinguished from them by its 
voice, when it puts forth a rapid succession of notes, more 
remarkable for chattering gaiety than quality of tone. 
The Great Tit, the Blue, the Cole, the Marsh, and the 
Long-tailed Tit, next to be described, are each of them 
common around London; and when requiring additional 
specimens for my use in this work, I found no difficulty in 
obtaming pairs of each of them within a very short space 
