BRITISH EIRX>S. 
23S 
OF THE TITMOUSE. 
I , ■■'[ ' .. * y ; > A ' , . ,,, ...... 
Tins diminutive tribe is diftinguiihed by a pe- 
culiar degree of fprightlinefs and vivacity, to which 
may be added a degree of flrength and courage 
which by no means agrees with its appearance.— 
Birds of this clafs are perpetually in motion ; they 
run with great celerity along the branches of trees, 
fearchipg for their food in every little cranny, 
where the eggs of infers are depofited, which is 
their favorite food : During fpring they are fre- 
quently obferved to be very bufy among!!: the o- 
pening buds, fearching for the caterpillars which 
are lodged therein ; and are thus actively employ- 
ed in preventing the mifchiefs that would arife 
Irom a too great increafe of thefe deftrudtive in- 
fects, whilll, at the fame time, they are intent on 
the means of their own prefervation ; they will 
likewife eat fmall pieces of raw meat, particularly 
fat, of which they are very fond. None of this 
kind have been obferved to migrate ; they fome- 
times make Ihort Sittings from place to place in 
queft of food, but never entirely leave us. — They 
are very bold and daring, and will attack birds 
much larger than themlelves with great intrepi- 
dity. Buffon fays, “ they purfue the Owl with 
great fury, and that in their attack? they aim chief- 
ly at the eyes ; their adlions on thefe occafions are 
attended with a fwell of the feathers, and with a 
