O I BIRDS. 
385 
The PENDULINE TITMOUSE. 
The forehead is black; the head and neck afh-colour; 
behind the top of the head whitifh. There is a black band 
which paffes by each eye. The wing and tail feathers are 
dufky, margined with whitifh afh-colour. 
This bird inhabits Raffia, Poland, Italy, and 
fome other parts of Europe. 
The great ingenuity which it employs in the 
conftruddion of its neft, is the mod interefting cir- 
cumftance in its hiftory. The outfide is formed of 
fibres, and little roots, but the bulk of it confifts 
of the down of willows, of the poplar, of cotton 
srafs, of thiflles, and of other plants : this is curi- 
oufiy combined, and interwoven, until it acquires a 
texture almoft as firm as cloth ; the infide is fur- 
nifhed with the fame materials, but networked 
in the fame manner, that it may be foft and warm 
for the young. It is covered above, for the pur- 
pofe of warmth and fnelter, and fufpended from 
the forky part of a flender branch, by a twine, 
curioufly woven by this ingenious mechanic, of 
the filaments of nettles, and of hemp. 
This neft is contrived to hang from a flender 
branch ; hence it is gently rocked by the wind ; 
and fufpended over a running water, which fe- 
cures it from the attempts of rats, fnakes, lizards, 
and 
