38 
THE BIRDS OF HAMPSHIRE. 
Genus — Parus. 
37. Parus major. Great Titmouse. 
Black-cap. Tom-tit. Ox-eve. 
A common resident in all parts of the county and Isle 
of Wight. 
This, and the blue titmouse, are certainly the most 
abundant of the family in our districts. 
Mr. Sutton Davies ^ once found it nesting at St. Cross, 
near Winchester, on December I2th, 1893, but the eggs 
were forsaken owing to the frost. 
Munn has found a nest at Hurstbourne in 1888, which 
contained twelve pure white eggs. 
Gilbert White called it^ the "great-black-headed tit- 
mouse," which " driven by stress of weather, much frequents 
houses, and, in deep snows, I have seen this bird, while it 
hung with its beak downwards (to my no small delight 
and admiration), draw 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." 
Miss Yonge happily describes the note of this bird as 
" Peter, Peter." 
38. Parus britannicus, British Coal Titmouse. 
A resident in all parts. 
The cole-mouse of Gilbert White. 
The fact that this bird so much outnumbers the marsh 
* "Zoologist." August, 1894. ^ Letter xli. to Pennant. 
