But since these are such confiding lif tie birds, coming to 

 our very windows during the winter months, for food, a few 

 notes concerning them may be acceptable. The commonest 

 of aU is the httle blue-tit, or " tom-tit," afe it is so often called. 

 Its beautiful cobalt-blue crown, blue back, wings, and tail, 

 white face, and yellow breast are famihar to us all. Its 

 larger relative, the great tit-mouse — ^the largest British tit- 

 mouse — ^bears a close general resemblance to the smaller 

 species, but is readily distinguished, not only by its greater 

 size, but by the broad band of black running down the 

 abdomen. Its flight, as of all the tit-mice, is weak and, 

 as it were, uncertain, confined to short passages from tree to 

 tree. The coal tit-mouse and the marsh tit-mouse are seldom 

 recognized as distinct species, by the novice. They are very 

 soberly coloured httle birds, the coal-tit being of an oUve- 

 grey, tinged with oUve-buff, while the sides of the body are 

 buff : the head and throat are black, reUeved by a broad 

 patch of white on each side and down the nape of the neck. 

 The marsh-tit is, to all intents and purposes, of the same 

 coloration, but differs conspicuously in lacking the white 

 patches. The tiny longtailed-titmouse cannot possibly be 

 mistaken for any other bird. Its deUcate hues of pink and 

 grey, and extremely long tail, make comparisons with any 

 other species unnecessary. 



Where, during the winter, small birds are tempted to 



85 



