18 PENDULINE TIT. 



six centigrammes. Bechstein and Temminck made a 

 mistake when they described small reddish spots as 

 distributed over the shell, like the eggs of the other 

 Tits. The female lays twice in the year, — in April or 

 May, and again in July or August." 



The following interesting description of the nidification 

 of the Penduline Titmouse given by M. Taczanowski, 

 of Warsaw, is also taken from the "Revue et Magasin 

 de Zoologie" No. 6, 1859 :— 



"Having had an opportunity of seeing a great number 

 of the nests of the Remitz, and of making a collection 

 of those variously constructed, I have been able to as- 

 certain the way in which they are built, and to correct 

 some mistakes , which have hitherto existed, from the 

 imperfect observations which have been made upon 

 them. 



The materials which form the foundation of these 

 nests are the fibres of hemp, nettles, and long and slender 

 filaments of the bark of different species of willows, 

 which the Bemitz separates in great quantity from those 

 plants when they are dry. It attaches these materials 

 upon a single flexible branch above its fork. When it 

 has sufficient material it begins the real substance of 

 its nest, which is composed of the down of the catkins 

 of the willow and poplar, and is placed below the fork 

 of the branch above mentioned. It first forms an out- 

 line of the nest, about three centimetres wide, into 

 which it introduces at least one twig of the tree into 

 each side of the nest. When this outline is sufficiently 

 long, it takes the ends of the filaments and joins them 

 together, so as to form the bottom of the nest. It now 

 lines the two sides of the nest with doAvn, proceeding 

 from the bottom to the top, until it has succeeded in 

 forming a nest which has two openings. Then it lines 



