11 



other small birds, the Sparrow shews a bold disregard that is far 

 from engaging our affections ; as if our kindness and our enmity were 

 alike despised. Instances are not wanting, however, of great 

 attachment on the part of caged Sparrows for persons by whom 

 they have been reared." 



The last bird that I shall bring before you to-night is the Blue 

 Tit, Parns coeruleus, a charming little creature, and one of the 

 most interesting and amusing of birds. Its total weight, feathers 

 and all is under half an ounce. Its plumage is very pretty indeed 

 and almost brilliant, but in the town it suffers from the smoke like 

 other birds, and the brighter and whiter colours get very dark and 

 dirty. The most interesting of its habits are those connected with 

 its climbing and hanging on to the twigs, branches, or whatever 

 else it clings to. It seems generally to prefer being upside down, 

 and it twists and turns and pecks, and drops off or flies off all with 

 such rapidity that the eye can scarcely follow it. If it succeeds in 

 getting a nice piece of suet or a crumb of bread in its beak it will 

 fly away with it to a neighbouring branch, and there holding it 

 with the claws of one foot against the branch peck away at it and 

 enjoy it in the prettiest, daintiest way imaginable, like a hawk 

 with its foot on its prey in miniature. The Blue Tit is very pug- 

 nacious, and very bold, often pecking vigorously at a bird ten times 

 its size. Its nest has been built in most remarkable places, and 

 the eggs hatched, and the young fed and brought up under cir 

 cumstances of extraordinary difficulty. I have myself seen one 

 flying in and out of the top of a gas lamp in Coolinge Road which 

 was lighted every night. But sometimes the bird has had to fly 

 positively through the flame to get in and out. The inside of a 

 wine bottle with a long neck has sufficed for the successful hatching 

 and bringing up of one family. The most effectual means that I 

 know of for watching the amusing ways of this little bird is to hang 

 a piece of suet placed on a small piece of wire on to the branch of 

 a tree near one's window. Fifty or a hundred times a day will 

 this be visited in a favoured spot by this bird, and no other except 

 its three relations, the Great Titmouse, Cole Tit and Marsh Tit. 

 I will conclude this disjointed paper with a short poem of the late 

 Ijord Tennyson which I select because of its pleasing references to 

 the world of Nature. 



The rain had fallen, the Poet arose, 

 He passed by the town and out of the street, 

 A light wind blew from the gates of the sun 

 And waves of shadow went over the wheat 

 And he sat him down in a lonely place, 

 And chanted a melody loud and sweet, 

 That made the wild swan pause in her cloud, 

 And the lark dropt down at his feet. 



