246 



that's it; 



firs, suspending them to the twigs 

 by the mosses of which they are 

 formed. They lay eleven or 

 twelve eggs, of brown tint, dark 

 at the larger extremity. The 

 12 



644. 



parent birds are bold, and will 

 come to the branch while the 

 nest is being inspected, uttering 

 shrill cries, and erecting their 

 crests, as if anxious to attack the 

 aggressor. 



13 



G45. 



These wrens are also partial to oaks ; and as 

 the oak is never found in the cold upland places 

 where pines are in general most abundant, the 

 birds resort to them during the winter, which 

 Is the best season for observing them, as in 

 summer they are concealed by the leaves. 



Tit-mice, 413, resort to wooded 

 countries, some of them prefer- 

 ring the depths of the most 

 retired forests. There they pur- 

 sue the insects and larvae which 

 constitute their food, the ' birds 



climbing and hanging in every 

 imaginable attitude among the 

 moss-covered branches. 



To see a tit-mouse reconnoitring a tree is 

 quite a treat ; it gets from bud to bud, one 

 hardly knows how, for though we must suppose, 

 from the analogy, that it can be done only on 

 the wing, yet it is so momentary a performance 

 that the wings are not seen to move. The bird 

 is clinging to one twig this instant, and the next 

 it is clinging to another, but how the transi- 

 tion is made there is no time for discovering ; 

 thus, the way in which it may come to the 

 branch is a matter of no consequence, in so far 

 as the sure footing of the bird is concerned. 

 Upwards, downwards, laterally, outwards, or 

 inwards, all are the same to the tit, for it never 

 misses its clutch, and the position in which it 

 may hang to the twig, or whether it hangs by 

 one foot or by both, seems to be a matter of 

 indifference. Wherever the feet touch, they 

 are sure to gain a firm hold, and the instant 

 that the feet are detached, the wings are ready 

 to sustain the bird. Thus, they are able to clear 

 of their iasect destroyers those slender sprays, 

 which no other birds can command.* 



The tree-lark, 14, frequents 

 wooded lands, and the borders of 

 woods and copses. The nest is 

 placed under a bank, at the root 



14 



646. 



of a tree or bush, or under a tuft 

 of high grass or furze. The 

 eggs are very variable, from grey- 

 ish brown to brownish purple, 

 speckled with darker shades of 

 the same colour. 



The wood-lark will be found most frequently 

 near the borders of Avffods, where it perches, 

 and sings from the trees, frequently tuning its 

 notes by night, so as to be mistaken for the 



* Partington's Cyclopaedia 



