176 
THE NATURAL HISTORY 
[LETT. 
tailed titmouse, wLicli is almost as minute as the golden- 
crowned wren : but the blue titmouse, or nun {Partis cmruleus), 
the cole-mouse (Farus ater), the great black-headed titmouse 
{Parus fringillcujo, now major), and the marsh titmouse {Parus 
'palustris), all resort, at times, to buildings ; and in hard 
weather particularly. The great titmouse, driven by stress of 
weather, much frequents houses, and, in deep snows, I have seen 
this bird, while it hung with its back downwards (to my no 
small delight and admiration), drav/ straws lengthwise from out 
the eaves of thatched houses, in order to pull out the flies that 
were concealed between them, and that in such numbers that 
they quite defaced the thatch, and gave it a ragged appearance. 
The blue titmouse, or nun, is a great frequenter of houses, 
and a general devourer. Besides insects, it is very fond of 
flesh ; for it frequentl}?- picks bones on dunghills : it is a vast 
admirer of suet, and haunts butchers' shops. When a boy, I 
have known twenty in a morning caught with snap mouse- 
traps, baited with tallow or suet. It will also pick holes in 
apples left on the ground, and will be well entertained with the 
seeds on the head of a sunflower. The blue, marsh, and great 
titmice will, in very severe weather, carry away barley and oat 
straws from the sides of ricks. 
How the wheatear and whinchat support themselves in 
winter cannot be so easily ascertained, since they spend their 
time on wild heaths and warrens ; the former especially, where 
there are stone quarries : most probably it is that their main- 
tenance arises from the aurelice of the Lepiclo]jtera ordo, which 
furnish them with a plentiful table in the wilderness. 
wryneck's egg. 
