THE YOUNG NATUEALIST. 



273 



Throat bluish black, with a blue stripe run- 

 ning down to the breast. Under parts 

 greenish white. Legs and feet bluish lead- 

 colour. The sexes do not differ except 

 that the female is rather duller in colour. 



Young Birds are dull in colour, the 

 colours not well diffused. The parts 

 usually white in the mature birds are dull 

 yellow in the young, the stripe down the 

 breast only faint. 



Varieties. — A white variety occurred in 

 Norfolk in 184S, One is recorded from 

 Oxfordshire in which all the feathers were 

 more or less marked with large brown spots. 

 Mr. Bond has one, of which a figure is 

 given upon the plate :— " The forehead and 

 cheeks white, crown of head and throat 

 pale bluish ash, wings and tail white, 

 slightly tinged with ash ; back, breast, and 

 sides lemon colour, belly white, legs and 

 bill light blue. Obtained in Gloucester- 

 shire."— F. B. 



Note. — The ordinary note of the Blue 

 Tit may be likened to the syllables " tzee, 

 tzee, tzit, tzee," but is varied according to 

 the wishes of the bird for call, or alarm. It 

 has no song. 



Flight.— The flight of this species is 

 rather weak, and if continued for long dis- 

 tances becomes undulating. 



Migration.— The Blue Tit is a regular 

 resident in this country. During severe 

 weather he leaves the woods and draws 

 nearer to the habitation of man. 



Food. — This consists of all kinds of 

 small insects, spiders, grubs, fruits and soft 

 seeds, such as peas. In the search for 

 insects its actions are more like those of a 

 mouse than a bird, running and twisting in 

 all kinds of postures over branches, generally 

 over hedgerows and young trees. Sometimes 

 they resort to low growing plants, and 

 clinging to their slender stems make the tops 

 bend almost to the ground, but the Blue Tit 

 does not quit his hold till every part has 



been examined. They may frequently be 

 found about gooseberry and other bushes 

 in spring, and may even be seen picking off 

 the buds, but in all probability only those 

 buds which contain insects of some sort. 

 During the breeding season they are 

 particularly ravenous on account of their 

 numerous families, and destroy large 

 quantities of caterpillars. It has been 

 calculated from actual observation that a 

 single pair with a brood of young ones will 

 destroy from six to seven hundred caterpil- 

 lars in the course of a single day. They are 

 very fond of suet and fat meats, and will 

 always come in severe weather to places 

 where it is usual to feed them. 



In Confinement it is a pugnaceous little 

 bird, though capable of being tamed and 

 becoming very fa,railiar. It has been kept 

 to fly about a room, and even allowed to go 

 out of doors, and it always returned on its 

 own accord. Its food should consist of 

 German paste, crumbs, hard-boiled egg, 

 and a liberal supply of fat meat, especially 

 during cold weather. 



Habitat. — This bird is found common- 

 ly in woods, hedgerows, plantations, and 

 gardens throughout the British Isles. 



Abroad. — Nearly everywhere throughout 

 Europe, and in parts of Asia. 



Nest. — The nest is placed in a hole in 

 a wall or tree, and is connposed of moss, 

 many feathers, and a little hair. I have 

 had the nest built in a hollow hedge-stake, 

 and Hewitson found one built in the hollow 

 root of an old stump. Many instances are 

 also on record of their having built under 

 inverted flower-pots ; in bottles, one of 

 which had the neck only one inch in diame- 

 ter and fifteen inches deep ; and in various 

 other utensils which happened to come in 

 their way. The nest of this bird has also 

 been found inside a solid piece of wood, 

 having been built in a hole and the entrance 

 to the cavity having grown up. The parent 



