The Long-tailed Tit. 35 



in our deliberations, in any way more qualified to enlighten 

 me: when suddenly the owners, irritated probably by our 

 continued presence so close to their abode, made their appear- 

 ance, chirping a little angry remonstrance, hopping among the 

 adjoining fir branches, and once or twice they almost brushed 

 our faces with their wings. 



"We then perceived that they were Long-tailed Tits, sweetly 

 pretty little things, with tails longer than their bodies, and 

 a coat of purplish grey, with white markings on the wings. 

 They are among the smallest of our native birds, being scarcely, 

 if at all, bigger than the Golden-crested "Wren, though their 

 long tails make them appear rather larger. 



"We retired hastily, and soon had the satisfaction of seeing, 

 from a distance, the tiny couple enter their nest, and remain 

 there, so that they had evidently taken no offence at my 

 inspection. In process of time we were enabled to ascertain, 

 by their constant passing in and out of the nest all day, that 

 the old birds had a young family to attend to; and by and 

 bye a grasshopper-Uke chirping within the nest, and a per- 

 ceptible bulging of its sides, showed pretty plainly that the 

 youngsters were getting big, and would soon be able to come 

 out and cater for themselves. But alas! one morning, after a 

 terrible night of wind and rain, I found the nest lying, drenched 

 and flattened on the ground, while not a trace of the birds 

 was to be seen anywhere about. 



"Ah/ la! la! quel dommage!" was my involuntary excla- 

 mation, as I ran to pick it up, when lo! a movement, and 

 I felt that there was life within: so I ran hastily indoors, 

 and found my mother in the kitchen, intent on making jam. 

 "We carefully examined the nest, and found no less than seven 

 little birds in it, warm and dry among their feathers, and 

 very nearly fledged. "What was to be done? they were too 

 old to gape to any one but their parents, though we tenderly 

 chucked their little chins, chirruping as well as we could in 

 imitation of the old birds, as we preferred various dainties, 



