Family PARID^. 



THE TITS. 

 We have now reached a very interesting group of birds, 

 small in size, but some of them of very handsome plumage, 

 of which there are several species common and generally 

 distributed about our gardens, plantations, and woods. 

 They may be observed examining the stems and branches 

 of trees for minute insects and their eggs and larvse, in all 

 sorts of positions, head downwards as often as not, or 

 creeping along the lower sides of boughs back towards the 

 ground. They have no song which is worthy of the name, 

 although some of them, the Great Tit in particular, are 

 great mimics of other birds and have a great variety of 

 strident call-notes, which are often dissonant enough when 

 suddenly obtruded among the pleasing strains of the 

 "Warblers of the copse. They are also carnivorous to some 

 extent. Having for many winters in succession been in 

 the habit of suspending pieces of suet in front of our 

 dining-room window for the benefit of the Tits, we found 

 that the Great Tit, the Blue Tit, and the Coal Tit were 

 constant visitors, whereas we never once detected the Marsh- 

 Tit, of which there were generally numbers about our 

 grounds, coming to share in cur hospitality. Tiie amusing- 

 gestures of the Tits while climbing up the string or cling- 

 ing to the pieces of fat will well repay any one who wishes 

 to lielp them through the cold weather. The Great Tit 

 is not altogether free from the imputation of occasionally 

 killing and eating birds of its own size, the brains of the 

 victims being regarded as the favourite morsels. Both 

 the Great Tit and the Blue Tit are very destructive to 

 the rows of peas in the kitchen garden, the Blue Tit in 

 particular being very expert and quick in opening and 

 rifling the pods. 



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