208 



THE WORLD OF ANIMAL LIFE 



Very odd little birds are the Titmice, which are so well known 

 to almost every resident in the country. We do not meet with 

 them out in the open fields. We never see them digging in the 

 ground for worms and grubs, like the starling; or catching moths 

 and beetles in the air, like the nightjar; or stealing corn, like the 



Long-tailed Titmouse and Nest 



sparrow. Unless we look for them, indeed, we shall scarcely notice 

 them at all. For their work is in the trees. There they hunt for 

 the little insects which feed upon the leaves or the young shoots, or 

 which hide themselves in the chinks and crannies, and under pieces 

 of loose bark. 



Their feet are so formed that they can perch upon a branch, or 

 on the side of a branch, or even underneath a branch, with perfect 



