118 
A CHAT ABOUT TITS. 
TUK BEAKDRD TITM0U3E. 
As for the tit or titmouse, he is a 
vivacious little bird; almost as rest- 
less as the wren, and scarcely less 
courageous. He has the same anti- 
pathy to the owl, which he attacks 
with surprising boldness ; darting 
at him, and endeavouring to peck 
at his eyes. In some respects he 
is not unlike the shrike ; he has a 
fondness for carrion, and will prey 
upon small or sickly birds, which he 
kills by frequent blows of his hard, 
strong-pointed bill upon the head. 
There are several species, — the blue- 
cap, the black-cap, the long-tailed, 
the bearded, — but they are all alike 
in their habits. The bearded is 
distinguished by the tuft of feathers 
beneath his chin. The long- tailed 
has a " caudal appendage " as long 
as his body. The black-cap ven- 
tui'es as far north as the bleak 
shoi'es of Hudson Bay; and, indeed, 
cold seems to agree with him, as 
he is always liveliest when the 
thermometer is near 32°. 
The tits are usually seen during 
autumn and winter, when they quit 
the green depths of the murmur- 
ous woods and approach the culti- 
vated fields. Then their sprightly 
song may be heard among the ever- 
greens; and little companies of six, 
eight, or more, attended by the 
nut-hatch, the brown creeper, and 
