PENDULOUS NESTS 255 



swayed to and fro by every breeze 1 Lastly, I may 

 state that the considerable amount of variation in the 

 shape of these pendulous nests belonging to the same 

 species is a feature of exceptional interest. We will 

 now proceed to a description of some of these pendulous 

 nests. 



Perhaps it may be as well to deal with those that 

 are least pendulous first, those that may be described 

 as a sort of compromise between nests hanging from 

 the extremities of twigs and with which they are inter- 

 woven, and those that are suspended in the more 

 typical pensile manner. Examples of these nests are 

 furnished by the Penduline Tits {Mgithalus), included 

 in the family Paridae. One of these birds is found in 

 various parts of Southern Europe, the Penduline Tit- 

 mouse (j^githalus pendulinus), probably the only in- 

 stance of a typical pendulous nest-builder throughout 

 the Palsearctic region, the other members of the genus 

 being found in warmer localities. A favourite situation 

 for the nest of this species is the extremity of some 

 slender drooping branch, at varying heights from the 

 earth, and not unfrequently over water. The nest is 

 hung from the branch with woven camels' or other 

 hair. In shape it is more or less globular, something 

 like that of the Long-tailed Tit, but the entrance con- 

 sists of a kind of tube extending a little way beyond 

 the side. The materials consist of cotton down and 

 hair very closely felted together. Some of the nests 

 of this bird that I have examined are decidedly pear- 



