Dusky, Gray, and Slate-colored 



Tufted Titmouse 



(Parus bicolor) Titmouse family 

 Called also: CRESTED TITMOUSE; CRESTED TOMTIT 



Length— 6 to 6. 5 inches. About the size of the English sparrow. 



Male and Female — Crest high and pointed. Leaden or ash-gray 

 above; darkest on wings and tail. Frontlet, bill, and shoul- 

 ders black; space between eyes gray. Sides of head dull 

 white. Under parts light gray; sides yellowish, tinged with 

 red. 



Range — United States east of plains, and only rarely seen so far 

 north as New England. 



Migrations— October. April. Winter resident, but also found 

 throughout the year in many States. 



" A noisy titmouse is Jack Frost's trumpeter " may be one 

 of those few weather-wise proverbs with a grain of truth in them. 

 As the chickadee comes from the woods with the frost, so it may 

 be noticed his cousin, the crested titmouse, is in more noisy evi- 

 dence throughout the winter. 



One might sometimes think his whistle, like a tugboat's, 

 worked by steam. But how effectually nesting cares alone can 

 silence it in April ! 



Titmice always see to it you are not lonely as you walk 

 through the woods. This lordly tomtit, with his jaunty crest, 

 keeps up a persistent whistle at you as he flits from tree to tree, 

 leading you deeper into the forest, calling out "Here-here-here!" 

 and looking like a pert and jaunty little blue jay, minus his gay 

 clothes. Mr. Nehrling translates one of the calls "Heedle-dee* 

 ile-dee-ile-d.ee !" and another " Peto-peto-peto-iaytee-iaytee!" 

 But it is at the former, sharply whistled as the crested titmouse 

 gives it, that every dog pricks up his ears. 



Comparatively little has been written about this bird, because 

 it is not often found in New England, where most of the bird 

 litterateurs have lived. South of New York State, however, it is 

 a common resident, and much respected for the good work it 

 does in destroying injurious insects, though it is more fond of 

 varying its diet with nuts, berries, and seeds than that all-round 

 benefactor, the chickadee. 



78 



