344 BIRDS OF ALABAMA 



in number) were placed in a natural cavity in a telegraph 

 pole.f 



Food habits. — Warren states that he has examined a num- 

 ber of stomachs of this bird from Florida and found the con- 

 tents to be composed entirely of insects, "chiefly beetles, 

 larvae, and ants."{ Ten stomachs from Alabama examined 

 in the Biological Survey contained remains of beetles, bugs, 

 cockroaches, caterpillars, ants and other Hymenoptera, scale 

 insects, and fragments of pine seeds. 



TITMICE: Family Paridae. 



TUFTED TITMOUSE; TOMTIT: Baeolophus bicolor 



(Linnaeus) . 



State records. — The tufted titmouse is a fairly common resi- 

 dent in nearly all sections, but is much less numerous in the 

 coast region than elsewhere. It is recorded from Sand Moun- 

 tain (near Carpenter), Talladega Mountains (seen at 2,000 

 feet altitude) , Natural Bridge, Squaw Shoals, Abbeville, Jack- 

 son, Castleberry, and Mobile. A few were seen at Orange 

 Beach in September and January and a few at Bayou Labatre 

 in FebruSiy. The bird probably breeds sparingly in those 

 localities, Saunders speaks of it as "very abundant" at Wood- 

 bine, where he saw the first indications of nest building on 

 April 9. By May 8 the young were nearly full grown. Nests 

 with eggs were found at Leighton, April 13, 23, and 27 and 

 May 6, and at Autaugaville, May 15 and July 9. 



General haibits. — The tufted tit shows a decided prefer- 

 ence for deciduous woodland, which doubtless accounts for 

 its rarity in the pine flats of the Coast Belt. It is found both 

 in heavy bottomland timber and among the scrubby oaks 

 which clothe the mountain sides. In winter it often roves 

 about in bands with other species, parj;icularly ehickadees aad 

 nuthatches. Its clear, whistled notes are a familiar sound at 

 all seasons of the year, and these have suggested the name 

 "Peter-bird," by which it is sometimes known. It makes its 

 nest of leaves, grasses, hair, feathers, cotton, etc., and places 



tBrown, N. C BulL Nutt. Ornith. Club, vol. 8, p. 171, 1878. 

 jWarren, B. H., Birds of Pennsylvania, 2d cd., p. 317. 1890 



