KEST OF THE BLUE TITMOUSE. 181 
first nest had been destroyed, the pump was in daily, al- 
though not frequent use — perhaps for an hour every 
evening : this fact was evident from the surprising quan- 
tity of materials that was taken out at each time, and 
which were sufficient to have constructed five or six 
ordinary nests. How long these most industrious little 
builders would have persevered in this effort to build, as 
it were, upon water, it is impossible to say. Hut as either 
the garden must have suffered, or they be fairly driven 
out, we chose the latter alternative : to put an effec- 
tual stop to further attempts, tlie top of the pump was 
taken entirely off ; the removal of this natural shelter 
had the desired effect, and no other attempt was made. 
It should have been observed, that owing to the decay 
of the wood work, there was a small hole on the side, 
which enabled the birds to pass in and out of the frame, 
even when the top was covered over. This inveterate 
habit of building under cover is not peculiar to the 
Mue titmouse. Montagu, the best authority on this 
subject we can quote, has the following observations 
upon our British species.* “ The Cole titmouse likewise 
builds in some hole, either in a wall or a tree. The 
great titmouse has all the habits of the blue species, 
and builds in a hole of a wall or tree and, he adds, 
curiously enough, “ we once found it in the barrel of a 
garden pump.” But let us proceed a step farther, and 
having traced in the titmouse the passage between an 
uncovere<i, or ordinary nest, to a roofed one, as seen in 
the wren, we shall proceed by another gradation, also 
exhibited in the genus Varus, which will lead us at 
once to the pendant structure. 
(1.57.) The long tailed titmouse [Varus mudatus) 
observes Montague, “ makes a curious oval nest in the 
fork of some bush or branch of a tree. In this parti- 
cular it deviates from the rest of its class, which in- 
variably build in some hole ; the bearded t and crested 
* Ornithological Dictionary, original edition. 
f The nest of this species was not then known to British naturalists. 
N 3 
