Titmice. 



31 



The most useful of all the tribe of tits, however, is the blue 

 tit iParus ccsnileiis), a pretty little bird about four and a-half 

 inches in leng-th and happily distributed generally throughout 

 the country. The wings and tail of this species are blue, the 

 breast and belly sulphur-yellow, the back yellowish-green, 

 and the side of the head white with a blue band running across 

 it from the beak to the nape. Its nest of moss, hair, and 

 feathers is built in holes in trees, walls, or gate posts, and 

 sometimes in pumps, letter boxes, and other extraordinary 

 places. Insects appear to be the principal objects of its search 

 during the summer. Naturalists who have watched these 



i 



The Bluetit [Parus ccEruleus), 



birds saw nothing but small grubs and caterpillars brought 

 to the young ones from apple trees near. In the winter this 

 tit feeds upon seeds, eggs and pupae of insects, and anything 

 that it can pick up. The hen bird lays from eight to fourteen 



In a report published by the Massachusetts Board of 

 Agriculture upon that most destructive insect, the gypsy 

 moth, allusion is made to the services of titmice in Europe. 



The writer of the report says : " In Europe there are six 

 different species of titmice. All of them are found in some 



