26o THE BOOK OF BIRDS 



more they swung — heads downwards — the merrier they 

 seemed, busily picking away at the young buds. Some of 

 them remained in the tree for more than an hour." 



As a rule, it is the tiny insects in the buds that 

 they are after, rather than the buds themselves. And 

 for searching out these, whether hidden in leaf-bud or 

 blossom or bark of tree, the Tit's short, firm, strong beak is 

 a merciless weapon. Indeed, how serviceable it is no one 

 can know who has not watched its owner hard at work 

 digging out some almost invisible grub from a chink or 

 crevice. 



Even more remarkable is the eyesight of this active 

 little bird, which can be adapted alike to see a distant 

 object and to magnify another which may be "under its 

 very nose." 



When its food is a seed with a hard outside, the 

 beak comes into play like a pickaxe on a piece of hard 

 ground. It does not crush it, but its sharp point, 

 striking it repeatedly, tears off the outside soon enough. 

 A serious charge against the Titmouse is that he uses that 

 beak of his in murderous assaults on other birds — young 

 or sickly ones. He will often kill them with sharp 

 pecks on the head, and then, cannibal - like, feast on 

 them. 



After that, it may seem to my readers a small offence 

 to accuse him of attacking bee-hives. He and his 

 comrades sometimes swoop down on the hive, slaying 

 the busy inmates at the very gates of their citadel, 

 just like moss troopers of old surprising some Border 

 castle. 



One of the larger members of this numerous clan is 

 among the boldest enemies of the owl. Let the bird of 

 wisdom only show his queer round face in daylight, and 



