CRESTED TITMOUSE. 
179 
may be given to them, and they require much water to drink 
and to bathe in. 
As before mentioned, these birds breed only in large pine 
forests. The nest is to be found in the hollow part of a 
decayed tree, or in the deserted nest of a squirrel or magpie : 
it consists of moss and lichens, and is lined with hair or the 
wool of animals. The eggs are from eight to ten in number, 
and in form and colour as represented in the plate, (fig. 80 .) 
They are said to have two broods in the year. 
The remarkable crest upon the head, from which this spe¬ 
cies derives its trivial name, consists of rather narrow, long, 
and pointed black feathers, edged with white. These fea¬ 
thers are shortest upon the forehead, and lengthen as they 
approach the crown of the head : the longest are bent forward 
in the shafts, in consequence of which they can never lie 
quite flat. The longest, or hindermost of them, measure 
about an inch in length : the forehead is covered with black 
and white scale-like feathers. From the beak extends over 
the eyes a dull or dirty white band towards the nape, which 
is also of a similar colour. Behind the eye commences a 
black band, which runs towards the back of the head, and then 
inclining forward in the shape of a crescent, surrounds the 
cheeks and ear-coverts. The cheeks and sides of the neck 
beneath the black crescent are dull white, tinged with 
yellow. The throat and chest are black, from whence ex¬ 
tends a narrow line of the same colour to the nape of the 
neck, forming a perfect collar. All the upper parts are mouse- 
colour, palest on the rump : the upper part of the breast is 
white, tinged with rust-yellow on the sides, which colour 
deepens on the lower part of the breast, and becomes on the 
vent, belly, sides, and under tail-coverts, brownish-yellow. 
The wing-feathers are dark greyish-brown, edged with mouse- 
colour ; the larger quills are edged with pale grey : the tail- 
feathers are dark brown, edged also with reddish-mouse- 
