198 
STRANGE DWELLINGS. 
made are mosses of various kinds, wool, hair, and similar sub- 
stances, woven by them with great firmness. It is remarkable 
that in the construction of this nest, which requires peculiar 
solidity, the Long-tailed Titmouse uses materials like those 
which are employed by the humming birds, and binds its nest 
together with the webs of spiders, and the silken hammocks of i 
various caterpillars. The exterior of the nest is covered with 
lichens, so that the whole edifice looks very much like a natural 
excrescence upon the tree cr bush in which it is placed, as is 
the case with the well-known nest of the chaffinch. 
Sometimes the form of the nest is rather different from that 
which has been mentioned, and the structure is flask-shaped, 
the entrance corresponding to the neck of the flask. Now and 
then a nest is found in which there are two openings, one near 
the top in the usual position, and the other on the opposite side 
and near the bottom. The presence of one or two apertures is 
prpbably influenced by the position of the nest and the climate 
of the locality. If the finger be introduced into the aperture, a 
charmingly soft and warm bed of downy feathers is felt, in 
which, rather than on which, the numerous eggs repose. 
The bird will build its nest in various trees, but always 
chooses a spot where the branches are very close and the foli- 
age dense. The gorse bush is a favourite residence of the 
Long-tailed Titmouse, and so deeply is the nest buried in the 
prickly branches, that it cannot be removed without the aid of 
thick leather gloves, and a sharp, strong knife. Some skill and 
artistic taste are required in order to secure a good specimen, 
and it is difficult to hit the happy medium between cutting 
away too many branches, and retaining so many that the shape 
of the nest cannot be seen for their luxuriance. 
The number of eggs is rather variable, but is always great, 
and on an average, some ten or twelve eggs can be found in a 
nest. They are so small and so fragile that the novice finds 
great difficulty in emptying them without breaking their delicate 
shells. This task may, however, be accomplished with perfect 
ease and safety if managed in the right way. Each egg should 
be enveloped in repeated wrappers of silver paper, soaked in a 
