BEARDED TITMOUSE. 



63 



under tail-coverts black : tail about three inches 

 long, very much wedge-shaped, and of the same 

 colour as the back ; the three outer feathers more 

 or less tipped with white ; black towards the base : 

 legs black. The female differs in having no black 

 under the eye and vent : the head is light ferru- 

 ginous, sprinkled with black : between the beak 

 and eye a dusky spot ; and a few black marks on 

 the back. 



Of the history of this species there is very little 

 known, although it is found in this country the 

 whole year, and breeds with us : it is very abun- 

 dant in the marshes between London and Erith, 

 amongst the reedy tracks near Cowbit in Lanca- 

 shire, and also in similar situations in Gloucester- 

 shire ; it is likewise found near Winchelsea in 

 Sussex, at Exeter in Devonshire, and in some part 

 of Scotland. The nest of this bird is not at all 

 known, unless, as Colonel Montagu observes, it is 

 so like the Reed Wren's as not to be distinguished 

 from it : various authors have attempted to give a 

 description of it, but their accounts are so different, 

 that there is no certainty respecting it ; whilst 

 others have undoubtedly mistaken that of the Reed 

 Wren for it : the most plausible conjecture that 

 can be advanced to account for the above is, that 

 the bird builds only in reedy places, that are quite 

 inaccessible on account of their swampiness. 



This species is common in Denmark, Sweden, 

 and the reedy banks of the rivers that fall into the 

 Caspian Sea ; and Buffon supposes that they were 

 first introduced into this country from a pair hav- 



