Tufted Titmouse 
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TUFTED TITMOUSE 
Called also: Peto Bird; Crested Tomtit; Crested 
Titmouse 
Don’t expect to meet the tufted titmouse 
if you live very far north of Washington. He 
is common only in the South and West. 
This pert and lively cousin of the lovable 
little chickadee is not quite so friendly and far 
more noisy. Peto-peto-peto comes his loud, clear 
whistle from the woods and clearings where he 
and his large family are roving restlessly about 
all through the autumn and winter. A famous 
musician became insane because he heard one 
note ringing constantly in his overwrought 
brain. If you ever hear a troupe of titmice 
whistling Peto over and over again for hours at 
a time, you will pity poor Schumann and fear 
a similar fate for the birds. But they seem to 
delight in the two tiresome notes, uttered some- 
times in one key, sometimes in another. Another 
call — day-day-day — reminds you of the chick- 
adee’s, only the tufted titmouse’s voice is louder 
and a little hoarse, as it well might be from 
such constant use. 
Few birds that we see about our homes wear 
a top knot on their heads. The big cardinal 
has a handsome red one, the larger blue jay’s 
is bluish gray, the cedar waxwing’s is a Quaker 
