Passeres 49 



more decided substructure of moss. The Willow Tit's 

 soft repeated cry resembles that of the Wryneck at a 

 distance, the Marsh Tit's notes are merely somewhat 

 sharper than those of the Blue or Coal Tits. Such at 

 least is the writer's experience, and it is corroborated 

 by that of others ; yet further information is desirable, 

 as the birds are only locally common, and it is no easy 

 matter to find a nest in such a position as to enable 

 the observer to Uft the parent bird ofE the eggs and 

 examine it. Irish birds also need further examination. 



The Blue Titmouse (P. cceruleus) with its blue crown 

 and nape, black throat and streak across the white 

 cheeks, and yellow breast is a very familiar object in 

 our gardens at any season ; it does not extend in 

 summer to the northerly isles of Scotland and similarly 

 shuns the more Arctic parts of Europe. Otherwise it 

 occupies the whole continent except Spain — ^in a form 

 rather brighter than ours — and meets south of the 

 Mediterranean and in Russia other alhes which are 

 sufficiently distinct to be characterized as species. 

 Whether flitting along our hedgerows, hanging pen- 

 dulous in search of insects on the trees, or engaged in 

 building a nest in some hole of a tree or wall, the Blue 

 Tit is always the same brave confiding little bird, which 

 hisses violently at us when caught on its eggs, and 

 resembles the Great Tit in its fondness for nest-boxes. 



The Crested Tit (P. cristatus) is particularly interest- 

 ing from the fact that it is confined in Britain to the 

 ancient forests of the Spey and its tributaries. It has 

 never been actually proved to breed elsewherein Scotland, 

 but a slightly different form occurs in many parts of 

 the Continent. This local species is brown, with huffish 

 white under parts, having the head and neck beautifully 



E. B. 4 



