226 
THE MARSH TITMOUSE. 
central feathers of the tail are black, and the remainder are black on the inner webs and white 
on the outer. They are regularly graduated in length, each pair being about half an inch 
shorter than the preceding pair. Both sexes are similar in their coloring. The total length 
of the bird is about five inches and a half. 
In personal appearance the Crested Titmouse is the most conspicuous of the European 
species, on account of the peculiarity from which it derives its name. 
It is a very rare bird in the northern parts of Europe, but when it makes its appearance 
there, is generally seen in little troops. On several parts of the European continent it is 
plentifully found, especially frequenting Denmark, Sweden, Russia, Switzerland, and Germany . 
It prefers the pine forests to any other locality, and it generally builds its nest in the hole of 
some decaying tree, the oak appearing to be the most favored. In one single instance noticed 
by Sir W. Jardine, the nest was almost wholly lined with the cast exuvige of snakes. The 
eggs are about eight or ten in number, and their color is generally white, spotted with a few 
light red specks. 
The coloring of this bird is mostly black and white, disposed in a pleasing manner 
and supplemented by mouse-colored shadings on its upper parts. The feathers of the crest 
are black at the base and edged with a rather broad band of white ; the back and wings are 
soft brown, the under surface of the chest and abdomen is very pale fawn, and the under 
surface of the wings and tail is a delicate pearly gray. It is a small bird, the total length 
being only four inches and a half. 
Another European Titmouse is the Cole Titmouse (. Parus ater\ so called on account of 
the dark coloring of its plumage. 
It is a tolerably common bird throughout Europe. In its habits it is not unlike the Long- 
tailed Titmouse, being ever restlessly' in motion, and constantly running up and down the 
branches of trees and bushes in search of its insect prey. It is not quite so fearless of man as 
some of the allied species, and is found in small woods, hedge-rows, and copses, rather than in 
gardens and orchards, so that it frequently escapes the notice of a casual observer. The nest 
of this species is usually placed above the ground, and is built in some sequestered and shel- 
tered situation, such as the hole of a tree or a wall, the hollow of gnarled or projecting roots, 
or in the midst of some very thick and shrubby bush. It is composed of moss and wool, and 
lined with hair. The eggs are generally about seven or eight in number, and are of a pure 
white, mottled with pale reddish spots. 
The voice of the Cole Titmouse is rather peculiar, and is well described by Mudie : — “ The 
song of the Cole Tit is not indeed one of many notes, or of mellifluous inflections ; it is little 
else than the same note repeated four or five times, but with so much variety of pitch and tune 
as to form a sort of cadence which would make a good variety anywhere, as it is shrill and 
clear, and one which is particularly welcome and cheering in those mountain woods which the 
summer warblers but rarely visit. The bird sings in the noontide heat, when most birds, and 
especially those on the open wastes, with which the haunts of this species are usually inter- 
spersed, are silent.” 
The Cole Titmouse is colored as follows : The head, chin, throat, ear-coverts, and parts of 
the sides of the neck are deep black, and the cheeks, sides of the neck, and a patch upon the 
nape are white. The back is bluish-gray, and the wings are brownish-gray with a little green 
on some of the feathers, and two narrow bars of white across the tips of the coverts. The breast 
is grayish -white, and the abdomen is pale fawn washed with a slight tinge of green. The total 
length of the Cole Titmouse measures about four inches and a half. 
The Marsh Titmouse is another European species, and may be distinguished from the pre- 
ceding species, to which it bears a considerable resemblance, by the absence of the black patch 
upon the throat and the white spot on the nape of the neck. It derives its popular name 
from its marsh-loving habits, as it is generally to be found near the water meadows and the low- 
lying banks, hopping about the osiers and willows, or seeking its food in the swampy grounds. 
