1879, 
•"ay 61 
20 . 
1880. 
Oct. 7. 
1865. 
Nov, 18. 
’arus atricapillus 
■'iddlosex Oouaty, ”ass 
T¥/-o birds at v/ork on tlioir nosts ina slendor 
and Gxcoodirif-ily rot ton birch in the v/oods. the other* in 
a natural cavity in an apple tree *3 t stood near the 
first T could distinctly hear the female tapping inside; 
the male sat on a neighboring tree, whistling softly: 
,- ■ I v/as attracted to tiie second nest hy see— 
ing one of the birds fly into thiO hole; it soon reappear 
ed v/.i th a chip in its bill, vfhQt'. its mate oiitered ar-id 
likev/iso brought out a small fragment of vrood. Yester¬ 
day I found anotlior nest of this species. by follov/i.ng 
the birds; the feiralo at length ontorod the jiole, v/hich 
was a snall^ono descending straight dovm./ard at an ai-.gle 
of abouG 45 in the ;nd of an apple tree branch which 
had boon sawed off. The hole v/as about six inches deep 
and ended .in a gourd-sliapod chamber. It \/as apparently 
complotod but there v/as no nost. 
Visited the nest found last month and took two, on' 
with seven the other with six eggs. The first v/as vn a 
hole pockod by tlie birds in the end of an apple tree limb 
v/hioh had beeii su./ed off. Owing to ttie r'omarkablG fact 
that tiiis hole descended straight riov/nward from its on- 
Grance the nest v/as soaking wet after yesterdays rain. 
The eggs were carefully coverod by the\/ool, foath-vrs’ 
etc. that composed ttio nest, so that/ until those mater¬ 
ials had boon pushed asido none of the eggs could be 
seon.^ Iho v/ool etc. adhered to the eggs in such quanti- 
tiosthat tiney v/ore gummed all over and had to bo soaked 
in water before they could bo cleansdd. Eggs perfeculv 
ismale not sittirgg, but both parents came about 
as I was in the tree uttering a low quer 'lous noise. 
This nest v/as found ^^ay 5. 
The soco/.d nest was i/i a tiolo pockod by tl.o birds 
in a sj.e..dor^ t.-ireh stub; iieight about to*, feet; eggs 
iresh, neittiior of tne birds wore seen to-uay The onus 
Oi this set, unlike those of the proceeding v/ore not 
covered at all. '“oth eggs and nest were perfectly dry 
Tins nost was found ’'av n. ^ j* 
a _ Saw one of these Titmice at Concord 
i| it but it escaped. 
I wounded 
Saw a flock industriously picking pine cones to 
pieces, probably in search of insects. 
