THE ALPINE ACCENTOR (Accentor Alpinus).
THE ALPINE ACCENTOR (Accentor Alpinus).
THE ALPINE ACCENTOR (Accentor Alpinus).
The TITS (Pari), although differing in many respects, resemble each other in most essential particulars. All are of small size, with compact bodies and short limbs. The beak is conical,straight, and short, with sharp margins, compressed at its sides and pointed at its tip; the feet are sturdy, the toes powerful and of moderate size, and the claws comparatively large and very much hooked. The wings, in which the fourth or fifth quill is the longest, are short and rounded; the tail short, and either straight or very slightly incised at its extremity; occasionally it is very long, and graduated at its sides. The plumage, which is thick, and composed of long and lax feathers, is bright and elegant in its coloration.
Most members of this family inhabit the northern parts of the Eastern Hemisphere, some few belong to North America, and others are natives of Asia and Africa. Opinions differ as to whether they migrate at the approach of winter, but our own observations have convinced us that even those frequenting northern countries never wander to any great distance from their native haunts. All are social in their habits, and consort not only with their own kind, but also seek the company of other species, often remaining in their society for weeks at a time. They seldom visit seed-growing districts, but frequent woods and forests, living almost exclusively upon trees or large shrubs, climbing and flying about the branches in what may literally be termed an incessant search for food. On the ground their movements are clumsy, and they seldom undertake long excursions, but generally only flit from one tree to another, feeding principally upon insects and seeds; of the former they devour enormous quantities, as their life of restless activity renders an unusually large supply of nourishment indispensable. The Tits may, therefore, be regarded as valuable assistants to the gardener and farmer, richly meriting their favour and protection. Most species breed twice in the year, laying each time from seven to twelve eggs.
The CRESTED WRENS or KINGLETS (Regulus) are recognisable by their straight, thin, finely-pointed beak, which is broad at the base, raised at the culmen, and slightly notched at the curved tip of the upper mandible. The feet are slender, the tarsi high, and the claws very decidedly hooked; the wings, in which the fourth and fifth quills are the longest, are short, broad, and much rounded; the tail is of medium size, and incised at its extremity; the plumage is thick, and composed of large, loose feathers; the nostrils are covered with small feathers, and the corners of the mouth with a few bristle-like hairs; the feathers on the crown of the head are generally prolonged into a crest, and are of brilliant hue. These birds are met with throughout Europe, Asia, and North America, and from time to time make their appearance in North-western Africa.
Their journeys are extraordinary when compared with their strength, size, and powers of flight, but they are often exhausted before arriving at their destination. Mr. Selby has related the following account of a large migration on the coast of Northumberland in 1822:—
"On the 24th and 25th of October, 1822, after a very severe gale, with thick fog from the north-east (but veering, towards its conclusion, to the east and south-east), thousands of these birds were seen to arrive upon the sea-shore and sand-banks of the Northumbrian coast, many of them so fatigued by the length of their journey, or perhaps by the unfavourable shift of wind, as to be unable to rise again from the ground, and great numbers were in consequence caught or destroyed. This flight must have been immensely numerous, as its extent was traced through the whole length of the coasts of Northumberland and Durham. There appears little doubt of this having been a migration from the more northern provinces of Europe (probably furnished by the pine forests of Norway, Sweden, &c.), from the circumstance of its arrival being simultaneous with that of large flights of the Woodcock, Fieldfare, and Redwing. Although I had never before witnessed the actual arrival of the Golden-crested Regulus, I had long felt convinced, from the great and sudden increase of the species during the autumnal andhiemalmonths, that our indigenous birds must be augmented by a body of strangers, who make these shores their winter resort."
THE GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN.
The GOLDEN-CRESTEDWREN(Regulus cristatus,flavicapillus, orauricapillus) is yellowish green on the mantle, and light grey beneath; the throat is whitish grey; the crown of the head is saffron yellow, its sides golden yellow, decorated with a black stripe; the wings are enlivened by two light-coloured bands. In the plumage of the female all the tints are duller, and the yellow on the head paler than in her mate. The young are entirely without the bright colouring on the head. This species is three inches and two-thirds long, and five inches and five-sixths broad. The wing measures one inch and five-sixths, and the tail an inch and a half. The Golden-crested Wren is the only member of this family found in Scandinavia, and it also breeds as far south in Europe as Greece, but is seldom seen in Spain. Notwithstanding the apparent delicacy of these birds, they are capable of sustaining an unusual degree of cold, and great numbers pass the entire winter in the pine forests of Sweden. In England and Ireland they also remain throughout the whole year, but we are told that those living in the Orkneys wander as far as the Shetland Isles when the cold sets in. A most extraordinary circumstance that took place in 1823 is related in the Memoranda of the Wernerian Society, namely, the total disappearance of the whole race of these birds, natives as well as strangers, throughout Scotland and the north of England. This happened towards the end of January, a few days previous to the continued snowstorm that was felt so severely in the northern counties of England and the eastern parts of Scotland. The range and route of this migration are unascertainable, but it was most probably a distant one, from the fact of not a pair having returned to breed or pass the succeeding summer in the situations they had been known always to frequent; nor was one of this species to be seen till the following October, about the usual time for our receiving an annual accession of strangers to our indigenous birds. Like their congeners, these tiny, delicate Wrens principally frequent fir and pine forests, about the branches of which they scramble with wonderful agility, hanging head downwards from the twigs, or darting like meteors from branch to branch, in a restless and incessant search for the insects upon which they subsist. Their voice is gentle and twittering, and their song occasionally uttered as they hover in the air over a bush or shrub. During the period of incubation, which frequently commences as early as February, the males endeavour to attract the attention of their future partners by spreading the beautiful crest upon their heads, and indulging in a variety of animated and excited movements, as they hop or fly about the spot where the desired mate is perching. The nest is spherical, usually placed at the extremity of a branch, beautifully constructed of moss or lichen, and in most instances snugly lined with feathers, cotton wool, or down from plants. The eggs, from six to ten in number, have a pale reddish white or yellowish white shell, finely spotted with red, and are scarcely larger than peas, not exceeding six lines in length, and five in diameter. So voracious are the young, that Colonel Montague observed the mother come thirty-six times in an hour with morsels for her craving family, and continue her labours without intermission for sixteen hours in the day. Mr. Selby tells us that he has seen fully-fledged young by the end of April.
THE DALMATIAN WREN.
The DALMATIANWREN(Regulus modestus).—"The only history of this bird," says Mr. Gould, "that we have been able to collect was that written on the label attached to it by the Baron de Feldegg, of Frankfort, which is as follows:—'I shot this bird, which on dissection proved to be a male, in Dalmatia, in the year 1829.' We were informed, at the same time, that it was not known to any German ornithologists, and, consequently, had not received a specific title. This we have ventured to give, and suggest the termmodestus, in allusion to its chaste plumage and the absence ofthe crest, which forms so conspicuous a feature in other species of this genus. Its most conspicuous characters are the three yellow stripes which ornament the head; the brighter and most highly coloured of these marks, contrary to what obtains in any otherReguli, being that over each eye, while the coronal stripe is palest, and consists of feathers similar in length to those which cover the rest of the head. With the exception of the stripes on the head, the whole of the upper surface is delicate olive green, becoming abruptly paler on the rump; the quills and tail are brown, edged with pale yellow, which is more conspicuous on the secondaries; two transverse bands of the same colour cross the shoulders. The whole of the under surface is pale greenish white; bill and tarsi brown."
THE FIRE-CRESTED WREN.
The FIRE-CRESTEDWREN(Regulus ignicapillus, orRegulus pyrocephalus) is readily distinguished from the bird above described by a black stripe that passes across and a white stripe that passes over the eyes. The crown of the head is fiery red, and bright-flame yellow at its sides, surrounded by a black line, which is broader than that on the Golden-crested Wren. The two species are almost alike in size. The Fire-crested Wren is met with in France, Germany, Italy, Greece, and Spain, and has been seen, although very rarely, in England. In most of the above-mentioned countries it only appears during its wanderings, but is known to breed in Greece. Such of these birds as inhabit Europe closely resemble the species above described in their movements and habits.
According to Jerdon, "the Himalayan Fire Crest is very like theRegulus ignicapillusof Europe, but is larger, and has the flame-coloured crest more developed. The Himalayan Fire-crested Wren has only been found in the North-western Himalayas, and even there, apparently, it is not very common."
THE SATRAP WREN.
The SATRAP-CROWNEDWREN(Regulus satrapa), a North American species nearly resembling its European congeners, is brownish grey upon the back, and greyish white upon the under side; the breast is shaded with brownish yellow, the eyes are encircled by a greyish white ring, and the head decorated on each side with a black band, edged with bright yellow, and with a broad fiery red stripe across the crown; the quills and feathers of the wing-covers are dusky, the former edged and the latter tipped with greenish yellow; the eye is brown, the beak black, and the feet brownish yellow. The bird is four inches long and seven broad.
Of the American Fire-crested Wren, or Fiery-crowned Knight, Nuttall writes as follows:—"TheRegulus tricolor(orRegulus satrapa) appears associated only in pairs, which are seen on their southern route, in this part of Massachusetts, a few days in October, and about the middle of the month, or a little earlier or later according to the setting in of the season, as they appear to fly before the desolating storms of the northern regions, whither they retire about May to breed. Some of these birds remain in Pennsylvania until December or January; proceeding, probably, but little further south during the winter. They are not known to reside in any part of New England, but retire to the same remote and desolate limits of the farther north with an allied species, of which they have most of the habits. They are actively engaged during their transient visits to the south in gleaning up insects and their lurking larvæ, for which they perambulate the branches of trees of various kinds, frequenting gardens and orchards, and skipping and vaulting from the twigs, sometimes head downwards, like the Chicadee, with whom they often keep company, making only now and then a feeble chirp. They appear at this time to search chiefly after spiders and dormant concealed coleopterous or other insects; they are also said to feed on small berries and some kinds of seeds, which they break open by pecking with the bill in the manner of the Titmouse. They likewise frequent the sheltered cedar and pine woods, in which they probably take up their roost at night. Early in Aprilthey are seen on their return to the north in Pennsylvania. At this time they dart among the blossoms of the maple and elm, in company with others of their race, and appear more volatile and actively engaged in seizing small flies on the wing, and collecting minute lurking caterpillars from the opening leaves. On the 21st of May, 1835, I observed this species feeding its full-fledged young in a tall pine tree on the banks of the Columbia river."
"If we compare the American Golden-crest Wren with the European, we find that they agree in general appearance, in the proportional length of the quills and in the form of the tail, as well as in that of the bill and legs. Their differences are the following:—
THE GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN (Regulus flavicapillus).
THE GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN (Regulus flavicapillus).
THE GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN (Regulus flavicapillus).
"Regulus tricoloris longer by half an inch thanRegulus cristatus, its bill is stronger and one-twelfth of an inch shorter, its claws are also stronger and shorter, and the flame-coloured patch on the head is more extended and brighter. The European species never has so much grey on the neck and back, and its lower parts are always more tinged with brownish yellow. The other differences are not very obvious; but the difference in the size of the bill, were there no other characteristics, would be enough, in a family of birds so closely resembling each other as theReguli, to point out the American as distinct from the European species.
"On the 23rd of January," continues the same writer, "I saw great numbers of these birds in the woods near Charlestown, searching for food high in the trees as well as low down, and so careless of us, that, although we would approach within a few feet of them, they were not in the least disconcerted. Their feeble chirp was constantly repeated. We killed a great number of them, in hopes of finding among them some individuals of the species known under the name ofRegulus ignicapillus, but in this we did not succeed. At times they uttered a strong querulous note, somewhat resembling that of the Black-headed Titmouse. The young had acquired their full plumage, but the femaleswere more abundant than the males. At this season the yellow spot on their head is less conspicuous than towards spring, when they raise their crest-feathers while courting. The young, shot in Newfoundland, in August, had this part of the head of a uniform tint with that of the body. With us they are amazingly fat, but at Newfoundland we found them the reverse."
"The Satrap Wren," says Audubon, "breeds in Labrador, where I saw it feeding its young in August, when the species appeared already moving southward; but although it was common there and in Newfoundland, as was the Ruby-crowned Knight, we did not succeed in our search for its nest. It enters the United States late in September, and continues its journey beyond their limits, as I have met with it on the borders of our most southern districts during winter. Individuals remain in all the Southern and Western States the whole of that season, and leave them again about the beginning of March. They generally associate in groups, composed each of a whole family, and feed in company with Titmice, Nuthatches, and Brown Creepers, perambulating the tops of trees and bushes, sometimes in the very depth of the forests or of the most dismal swamps, while at other times they approach the plantations and enter the gardens and yards. Their movements are always extremely lively and playful. They follow minute insects on the wing, seize them among the leaves of the pines, or search for larvæ in the chinks of the branches. Like the Titmice, they are often seen hanging to the extremities of twigs and bunches of leaves, sometimes fluttering in the air in front of them, and are unceasingly occupied. They have no song at this season, but merely emit now and then a lowscreep."
THE RUBY-CROWNED WREN.
The RUBY-CROWNEDWREN(Regulus calendulus) is four inches long and six in extent of wing; the upper parts of the head, neck, and back are olive, with a considerable tinge of yellow; wings and tail dusky purplish brown, exteriorly edged with yellow olive; secondaries and first row of wing-coverts edged and tipped with white, with a spot of deep purplish brown across the secondaries, just below their coverts; the hinder part of the head is ornamented with an oblong lateral spot of vermilion, usually almost hid by the other plumage; round the eye a ring of yellowish white; whole under parts of the same tint; legs dark brown, feet and claws yellow, bill slender, straight not notched, furnished with a few black hairs at the base; inside of the mouth orange. The female differs very little in its plumage from the male, the colours being less lively, and the bird somewhat less.
"This little bird," says Wilson, "is an American species, visits us early in the spring from the south, and is generally first found among the maple blossoms about the beginning of April; these failing, it has recourse to those of the peach, apple, and other fruit trees, partly for the tops of the sweet and slender stamina of the flowers, and partly for the winged insects that hover among them. In the middle of summer I have rarely met with these birds in Pennsylvania; and as they penetrate as far north as the country round Hudson's Bay, and also breed there, it accounts for their late arrival here in fall. They then associate with the different species of Titmouse and the Golden-crested Wren, and are particularly numerous in the month of October and beginning of November, in orchards, among the decaying leaves of the apple-trees, that at that season are infested with great numbers of small, black-winged insects, among which they make a great havoc. I have often regretted the painful necessity one is under of taking the lives of such inoffensive, useful little creatures, merely to obtain a more perfect knowledge of the species, for they appear so busy, so active and unsuspecting, as to continue searching about the same twig, even after their companions have been shot down beside them. They are more remarkably so in autumn, which may be owing to the great number of young and inexperienced birds which are then among them; and frequently at this season I have stood under the tree, motionless, to observe them, while they gleaned among thelow branches, sometimes within a foot or two of my head. They are extremely adroit in catching their prey, have only at times a feeble chirp, visit the tops of the tallest trees as well as the lowest bushes, and continue generally for a considerable time among the branches of the same tree, darting about from place to place; appearing, when on the top of a high maple, no bigger than humble-bees."
"Notwithstanding all my endeavours," continues our author, "I have never been able to discover their nest, though, from the circumstance of having found them sometimes here in summer, I am persuaded that they occasionally breed in Pennsylvania, but I know several birds no larger than this that usually breed on the extremities of the tallest trees in the woods, which I have discovered from their beginning before the leaves are out; many others, no doubt, choose similar situations, and, should they delay building until the woods are thickened with leaves, it is no easy matter to discover them. In fall they are so extremely fat, as almost to dissolve between the fingers as you open them, owing to the great abundance of their favourite insects at that time."
The PENDULINE TITMICE (Ægithalus) are small, slenderly-formed birds, with awl-shaped beaks, scarcely perceptibly curved at the tip; short, blunt wings, in which the third, fourth, and fifth quills are the longest, and nearly of equal length; and moderate-sized tails, slightly incised at the extremity. The plumage is very lax, and the males more brightly and beautifully coloured than the females. The young differ in their appearance from both parents.
THE TRUE PENDULINE TITMOUSE.
The TRUEPENDULINETITMOUSE(Ægithalus pendulinus) is greyish red on the upper part of its body, on the under side whitish, shaded with rust-red on the breast; a black stripe, beginning at the cheeks, passes across the eyes to the region of the ear; the quills and tail-feathers are blackish, with light borders; the eye is brown, the beak of various shades of black, whitish at its margins; the feet are black or greyish black. The female is more dusky, and has less black upon the brow and sides of the head than her mate. In the young the black cheek-stripes are not indicated. The upper portion of the body is reddish grey. This species is from four inches to four and a half long, and from six to six and a half broad; the wing measures two inches and a quarter, and the tail one inch and three-quarters.
These elegant little birds inhabit all the eastern parts of Europe and a large portion of Asia, and their active, sprightly demeanour entitles them to a place among the most interesting members of the family to which they belong. From morning to night they are almost incessantly in motion, climbing nimbly among the reeds, or bopping from twig to twig, in search of the insects and larvæ upon which they subsist. They generally, however, keep well sheltered beneath the foliage, where their presence is constantly betrayed by the frequent utterance of their clear, chirping note. Whether this species migrates is as yet undecided; it is, nevertheless, certain that it disappears from its native haunts about September or October, and does not return until March.
"Proverbial as the nests of the Tits are for beauty of structure," says Mr. Gould, "none are more remarkable and curious than that of the present species; it is constructed of the soft down of the poplar or willow, and this substance, which closely resembles cotton wool, is woven together with admirable ingenuity, so as to form a flask-shaped nest with a lateral opening into the internal chamber. It is suspended at the extremity of a drooping branch of a willow, or any similar tree hanging over the water."
We are indebted to Baldamus not only for a very complete description of the remarkable nest made by these birds, but also for a detailed account of the mode of building it. "I have had anopportunity," writes that naturalist, "of watching during seven weeks the daily operations of a pair of these ingenious little builders, and have carefully examined upwards of thirty nests." He observed, moreover, the whole process of their construction, and procured several in different stages of completion. The situation chosen was generally in the vicinity of a swamp, and the nests were almost invariably suspended to the innermost twigs of the branches of a willow tree, usually at an elevation of twelve or fourteen feet from the ground, although some were at a height of from twenty to thirty feet, and one example was obtained from the very summit of a high tree.
In building these admirable structures the two sexes seem to emulate each other in industry and perseverance, for without this, it is difficult to conceive how such an edifice can be completed in the short space of about fourteen days.
"The mode of proceeding in the construction of one of these nests," continues the same writer, "is as follows:—First of all the bird begins by winding a quantity of wool, goats' hair, bast, or hempen thread, around the selected twig, at a part where it becomes forked, and between the forks are laid the foundations of the walls of the nest, which thus becomes securely fixed; from this basis a sort of felt-work is prolonged into the shape of a shallow basket, in which condition it was formerly thought to be a supernumerary nest, constructed for the accommodation of the male bird. As, however, the work proceeds, the walls are still further produced by an accumulation of fitting materials, which now consist of down collected from poplar and willow trees, interwoven with threads of bast, wool, and hair, while the fibres of vegetable cotton are glued and matted together by the aid of saliva supplied by the birds themselves. The structure now presents the appearance of a basket with thick rounded walls, and the next part of the process is to construct the side entrance, which terminates in a small round hole, while the other side also has a passage from below; the one with the round opening is now provided with a tube of from one to three inches long, while the other remains open, and only felted and smoothed down at the edges; lastly, the bottom of the inside of the nest is thickly carpeted with loose unrolled vegetable wool, and the structure is at length completed. The nest now appears a round ball or bag, from six to eight inches in depth, and from four to five in width, with a round entrance like the neck of a bottle, which at first bending down soon stands out horizontally towards the entrance, which is circular, and provided with a slightly thickened margin."
"It is impossible to confound such a nest with that of any other bird, and, therefore, we are quite assured that the Bottle Tit has repeatedly made its nest in Germany, where deserted nests are frequently found in winter by men employed in clearing away the reeds in various localities."
The eggs, according to Baldamus, are usually seven in number, and have a smooth, delicate, pure white shell, which, owing to its transparency, appears pale red until it is emptied of its contents. We are told, on good authority, that both parents assist in the process of incubation. The young are reared principally upon small caterpillars, flies, and beetles.
The REED TITMICE (Panurus) are distinguishable by their slender body, long and much graduated tail, moderate-sized wings, in which the fourth and fifth quills exceed the rest in length, and their short, much-curved beak. The plumage is comparatively smooth and compact, but varies according to the age or sex of the bird.
THE BEARDED TITMOUSE.
The BEARDEDTITMOUSE(Panurus biarmicus) is light cinnamon brown on the upper part of the body, greyish blue on the crown of the head, and light rose-red on the under side; the throat is whitish, the region of the tail black; the brown wings are decorated with a white stripe, and edged with a line of black. The chin of the male is covered with a beard-like tuft of soft black feathers,about nine inches long. The plumage of the female is paler; the back is of a light shade, darkly spotted; the lower tail-covers are pale rust-red, and the very slightly indicated beard white. The young are almost black upon the back. The length of this species is from six inches to six and a half, and its breadth from seven inches to seven and a half; the wing measures two inches and a half, and the tail three inches and a quarter.
BEARDED AND PENDULINE TITS.
BEARDED AND PENDULINE TITS.
BEARDED AND PENDULINE TITS.
The Bearded Titmouse is met with in all the north-eastern parts of Europe. In Great Britain it is but rarely seen; it is, however, comparatively numerous in Holland, South Hungary, Greece, and a portion of Asia Minor. Everywhere it seeks the reed-covered banks of rivers, and lives in pairs or in small families.
Dr. Leach was induced to separate this very interesting bird from the genusParusin consequence of its differing in several minor characters from the other species of that genus, particularly in the situation it affects as a place of abode and nidification, constructing a nest on or near the ground in wet and marshy places. "Its food," continues Mr. Gould, "is also very different, consisting of the seeds of reeds, with aquatic insects and minute-shelled snails, for the trituration of which it is provided with a strong muscular gizzard. It is more particularly abundant in the low and marshy districts of Holland, France, and Germany. Its disposition is timid, and its manners shy and retired, dwelling in situations both local and difficult of access, a circumstance which, until lately, has prevented naturalists from giving any details, especially of its peculiar habits." We are indebted to Mr. Hoy for the best account of this bird yet published, as given in the "Magazine of Natural History," (Vol. III., page 328), from which the following is extracted:—
"The borders," says. Mr. Hoy, "of the large pieces of water in Norfolk, called 'broads,' particularly Hickling and Horsey Broads, are the favourite places of resort of these birds; indeed, it is met with in that neighbourhood wherever there are reeds in any quantity, with fenny land adjoining. During the autumn and winter they are found dispersed generally in small parties throughout the whole length of the Suffolk coast, wherever there are large tracts of reeds. I have found them numerous in the breeding season on the skirts of Whittlesea, near Huntingdonshire, and they are not uncommon in the fenny districts of Lincolnshire; whether they are to be met with further north I have no means of ascertaining, but they do not appear to have been noticed north of the Humber. They begin building in the end of April. The nest is composed on the outside of the dead leaves of the reed and sedge, intermixed with a few pieces of grass, and invariably lined with the top of the reed, somewhat in the manner of the nest of the Reed Wren (S. arundinacea), but not so compact in the interior. It is generally placed in a tuft of coarse grass or rushes, near the ground, on the margin of the dykes in the fen; sometimes fixed among the reeds that are broken down, but never suspended between the stems. The eggs vary in number from four to six, rarely seven; they are pure white, sprinkled all over with small purplish red spots, intermixed with a few small faint lines and markings of the same colour—size about the same as that of the Greater Tit, but much more rounded and shorter. Their food during winter is principally the seed of the reeds, and so intent are they in searching for it, that I have taken them with a bird-lime twig attached to the end of a fishing-rod. When alarmed by any sudden noise, or the passing of a hawk, they utter their shrill musical notes, and conceal themselves among the thick bottom of the reeds, but soon resume their station, climbing the upright stems with the greatest facility. Their manners in feeding approach near to those of the Long-tailed Tit; they often hang with the head downwards, and occasionally assume the most beautiful attitudes. Their food is not entirely reed-seed, for they sometimes eat insects and their larvæ, and the very young shelled snails of different kinds, which are numerous in the bottom of the reedlings. I have been enabled to watch their motions whilst in search of insects, having, when there is a little wind stirring, been often within a few feet of them, quite unnoticedamong the thick reeds. Were it not for their note betraying them, they would be seldom seen. The young, until their autumnal moult, vary in plumage from the old birds; a stripe of blackish feathers extends from the hind part of the neck to the rump. It has been said that the males and females keep separate during the winter, but I have always observed them in company; they appear to keep in families until the pairing time, in the manner of the Long-tailed Tit, differing in this respect, that you will occasionally find them congregated in large flocks, more particularly during the month of October, when they are migrating from their breeding-places." "To the above interesting account," says Mr. Gould, "we may add that they are to be met with occasionally on the banks of the Thames; from the thick reed-beds of Erith, in Kent, throughout the course of the river to Oxford; but their visits are by no means regular, or to be calculated on with accuracy."
A contributor to Mr. Loudon's magazine saw a flock of eight or ten of these beautiful little creatures on the wing, in a large piece of reeds near Barking Creek, Essex. "They were just topping the reeds in their flight, and uttering in full chorus their sweetly musical note, which may be compared to the sound of very small cymbals; it is clear and ringing, though soft, and corresponds well with the delicacy and beauty of the form and colour of the birds. Several flocks were seen during the same morning. Their flight was short and low, only sufficient to clear the reeds, on the seedy tops of which, like most of their tribe, they alighted to feed, with the head or back downwards. If disturbed, they immediately descend by running, or, rather, by dropping to the bottom of the stem, where they creep and flit, perfectly concealed from view by the closeness of the covert and the resembling tints of their plumage."
The LONG-TAILED TITS (Orites) have a short, compact body; long, graduated tail, incised at the centre of its extremity; moderate-sized wings, in which the fourth and fifth quills exceed the rest in length; a very short, much arched, and pointed beak; and delicate feet. The sexes are alike in colour, and the young differ but slightly from their parents.
THE LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE.
The LONG-TAILEDTITMOUSE(Orites caudatus) is black on the centre of the back and white on the head; the under side is reddish white, and the wings black, their hinder quills being broadly bordered with white; the tail is black, the three outer feathers spotted with white. The young are pale black on the side of the head, back, and wings, and of a whitish hue on the top of the head and on the under side of the body. The eye is dark brown in the adults, its unfeathered margin is light red, in the young bright yellow. The beak and feet are black. This species is six inches long and seven inches and three-quarters broad; the wing measures two inches and a half, and the tail three inches and a half.
The Long-tailed Tit inhabits the whole of Europe, from its most northern countries as far south as the Pyrenees and Alps, but is met with comparatively rarely in Greece and Spain. Like some of its congeners, it prefers taking up its abode on fir and pine trees, but, if these are not attainable, usually frequents orchards or well-cultivated woodland districts; its habits are social, and its disposition, though equally lively and active, considerably more peaceful than that of most other members of its family. Both sexes utter a brisk chirping note, and the male at some seasons a faint twittering song. These birds destroy the smallest kinds of insects in enormous quantities, and thus render inestimable service to the farmer and gardener.
"The nest of this species," says Mudie, "has always been admired as a model of neatness and warmth. It is formed by patient and incessant labours of both birds for at least a month, if materials are abundant, and five or six weeks when the supply is more scanty. It is placed in the fork of asmall mossy tree, or among the thick twigs of a shrub, often a hawthorn, sometimes an evergreen, seldom more than three or four feet from the ground, and generally within cover of the sprays. Its form resembles that of an egg placed on the broader end; in appearance and texture it is very like a short decayed stump, that has been coated over with lichens, and is as firm in texture as it is neat and regular in form. The main fabric is closely made of moss, taken in very small pieces, and matted together with animal fibre, rarely with wool—as the bird does not range so far from the bushes as to be much of a wool-gatherer—but principally with what may be called tree or bark silk, that is, the silken cocoons that cover the chrysalides of insects and the eggs of spiders. These materials are firmly interwoven, but, though the term is sometimes applied to them, they are notfelted. The two materials form a stronger fabric than could be made of either of them singly. The moss gives bulk and stiffness, and the silky filaments cohesion; and, as the birds are microscopic in their vision, they have perfect command over their short bills, and apply these materials by very small portions at a time. The fabric is beautifully put together, and when there are twigs in the way the nest is so closely worked upon them that it cannot be removed entire unless they are taken along with it. Externally it is coated with lichens and liverworts, so closely worked in that not a bit falls off; the inside is carefully lined with feathers, the quills of which are worked into the fabric. The whole nest, dome and all, is lined in this manner, so that when finished it is secure against rain and change of temperature. The entrance is by an aperture in the side, towards the top of the structure, and there are in some instances two apertures, the one nearly opposite to the other, the feathers around which are so worked into the fabric as, when not pushed aside by the birds, to form a sort of curtain. The interior is usually of sufficient size to contain both birds during the night, and, in the case of there being two apertures, they sit with the head of the male out at the one and the tail of the female out at the other, so that both apertures are partially closed, and the male is ready to start out as soon as there is light enough for hunting." The first brood is produced by the end of April, and usually consists of from nine to twelve or occasionally fifteen eggs; these are very small, with delicate white shells, more or less spotted with pale red; many females lay eggs that are quite white. The young are hatched thirteen days after their birth, and during all that time the brooding mother must suffer considerable annoyance from the unwieldy size of her tail, which is generally kept twisted round in the most inconvenient manner: nor are the young more at their ease; at first, despite their numbers, they manage tolerably well, but as they increase in size each struggles for the warmest place, and pushes at his neighbour until the nest gives way, or is rent in such a manner that the troublesome tail can be thrust out and freer space obtained.
THE CRESTED TITS (Lophophanes) are distinguished by comparatively slender beaks and the pointed upright crest that adorns the head. India and America have species similar to those we are about to describe.
THE CRESTED TIT.
THECRESTEDTIT(Lophophanes cristatus) is mouse-coloured on the upper portion of the body, and greyish white on the under side; the slender graduated feathers that form the crest, the shafts of which incline forward, are black edged with white; the region of the cheek is white; a sickle-shaped stripe across the eyes is black, as is also a line commencing at the nape and extending to the tail; the quills and tail-feathers are dark greyish brown, with light edges. The eye is brown, the beak black, with pale margins, and the feet dirty light blue. The length of the body is five and its breadth eight inches; the female is somewhat smaller than her mate. The crest of the young birds is not quite so large, and the markings on their head more indistinct.
The Crested Tits are spread over Central Europe and North-western Asia, where they principallyfrequent fir and pine forests, remaining almost throughout the entire year in their native woods, only leaving their shelter for a short time in the spring and autumn. During the winter they associate freely with other species, and in their company fly about in search of food. The song of the male is chirping and insignificant, and during the breeding season is accompanied by a great variety of gesticulation, and a constant display of the crest that adorns his head. The nests are always placed in holes of trees, such as have a narrow entrance being preferred, and are situated at various heights from the ground, in some instances in the deserted dwellings of other birds or of squirrels; the exterior is formed of bits of moss, or some similar material, and lined with hair or wool of various kinds. The eggs, eight to ten in number, are small and delicate, and of snowy white, spotted with rust-red; both parents brood, and the young are hatched within a fortnight, and are reared on small caterpillars. As soon as they are able to support themselves, the old pair at once make preparations for a second family.
THE LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE (Orites caudatus).
THE LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE (Orites caudatus).
THE LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE (Orites caudatus).
Although rare in Great Britain, this species is abundant in all the northern regions of Europe, frequenting places where juniper trees are plentiful; it is common in Germany and the Alpine districts, and is scarce in Holland.
Colonel Montague says, "It is not uncommon amongst the large tracts of pines in the north of Scotland, particularly in the forest of Glenmore, the property of the Duke of Gordon, from whence we have seen it," and Sir William Jardine states that "this bird has been found in some plantations not far distant from Glasgow, where it annually breeds."
It feeds on insects, berries, and the seeds of evergreens, and, according to M. Temminck, builds in holes in trees, or walls.
THE TOUPET TIT.
The TOUPETTIT(Parus bicolor) is remarkable by the tuft or toupet on its head. In this very pretty bird the sexes are so much alike as to be scarcely distinguishable; both may be described as having the forehead black, the sides of the head brownish black; all the upper surface uniform grey, under surface greyish white, tinged with yellowish brown on the flanks; bill black, irides dark brown, feet lead-colour.
There can be no doubt that the northern regions of America form the true habitat of this species; but as specimens have been undoubtedly killed in Russia, it may be classed among the occasional visitors to the European continent; nevertheless, it is exceedingly rare in Europe, and its presence is confined to the regions adjacent to the Arctic circle. In the works of Wilson and Audubon its manners are described as resembling those of other members of the genus. "It moves along the branches," says the latter, "searches in the chinks, flies to the end of the twigs, and hangs to them by its feet, whilst the bill is engaged in detaching a beech or hazel-nut, an acorn, or a chinquapin, upon all of which it feeds, removing them to a large branch, where, having secured them in a crevice, it holds them by both feet, and breaks the shell by repeated blows of its beak. It resorts to the margins of brooks to drink, and, when unable to do so, obtains water by stooping from the extremity of a twig overhanging the stream. It appears to prefer this latter method, and is also fond of drinking the drops of rain or dew, as they hang at the extremity of the branches." The same author also informs us that its notes, which are usually loud and mellow, are rather unmusical than otherwise; that it is somewhat vicious in its disposition, and occasionally attacks and destroys smaller birds by repeated blows on the head, until it breaks the skull.
The nest is constructed of all kinds of warm materials, and is generally placed in the holes formed by the Downy Woodpecker, or of other Woodpeckers, but it is occasionally placed in a hole dug by the bird itself for that purpose. The eggs, six or eight in number, are pure white, with a few red spots at the larger end.
The WOOD TITS (Parus) differ from the species above described by the unusual strength of their conical beak, which is compressed at its sides and pointed at its tip, and by their large, stout claws. The wings, in which the third and fourth quills exceed the rest in length, are short and broad; the tail is long, or of medium size, and either slightly rounded or incised at its extremity. The rich streaming plumage is often brilliantly coloured. The young resemble the mother; little diversity, however, is observable between the sexes.
THE GREAT TIT.
The GREATTIT(Parus major) is olive green on the upper part of its body, and pale yellow beneath; the top of the head, the throat, a stripe that passes along the body, and another extending from the front of the throat to the back of the head, are black; the quills and tail are bluish grey, and the sides of the head and a stripe on the wings white. The eye is dark brown, the beak black, and the foot lead-grey. In the young all the tints are somewhat paler. This species is five inches andthree-quarters long and nine inches broad; the wing measures two inches and three-quarters, and the tail two inches and a half. The female is a trifle smaller than her mate. This common Tit is found throughout Europe from sixty-five degrees north latitude (in the southern part it is comparatively rarer), and in the whole of Central Asia, and North-western Africa. Unlike the species above described, these birds have no especial predilection for forests, but constantly occupy woods, shrubberies, and gardens, and not unfrequently farm-yards, where they are found to grow very bold in their endeavours to obtain subsistence.
The summer food of the Great Tit consists of insects, together with the buds of trees and fruits, to these it adds the crumbs scattered from the cottage door, of whatever matters they chance to consist, whether animal or vegetable, its digestive powers being apparently adapted to great variety. On the approach of spring it becomes noisy and restless, betaking itself to the top branches of high trees, where it utters its harsh note for the day together; the note greatly resembles the noise made by filing a saw, or the creaking of a gate on rusty hinges. The song of this bird, which is composed of three distinct notes, would be agreeable were it not for the introduction of occasional harsh grating tones, as they hop nimbly about the branches in search of food. During the breeding season the performance is somewhat more pleasing, and the voice is in many respects not unlike that of the Chaffinch.
"The Great Tit," says Mr. Yarrell, "will frequently kill small birds, accomplishing his purpose by repeated blows with his sharp beak on the skull of the victim, and afterwards picking out and eating the brains. Though more truly a feeder on insects, the Great Tit, unlike insectivorous birds in general, does not migrate, but remains all the year round in the same district, apparently unaffected by the very different temperature of Italy as compared with Russia, and the species is known to be constantly resident in both countries. In England the Great Tit is seldom seen on bleak open ground, but inhabits woods, the vicinity of gardens, or other enclosed and sheltered situations in summer, where it occasionally feeds on small seeds. In winter it approaches nearer the habitations of men, and may be seen in hard weather closely examining the thatch of old buildings in search of the many small flies that harbour there. As the Great Tit is an early breeder, the lively chirping notes of the males are heard early in February; sometimes this bird produces a sound which has been considered to resemble the noise made in sharpening a saw; and, though this is small praise, his notes are more remarkable for vivacity and frequent repetition than for quality of tone. The nest, formed of moss and lined with hair and feathers, is usually placed in the hollow of a tree, or a hole in a wall. The deserted nest of a Crow or Magpie is sometimes chosen. Several observers have recorded the partiality so frequently evinced by this species to build its nest in or about any old unused wooden pump, and the mass of materials collected on such occasions wherewith to construct it. The eggs are from six to nine in number, nine lines and a half in length and seven lines in breadth; white, spotted and speckled with pale red."
"Rusticus," of Godalming, has given an amusing account of the behaviour of one of this species which came under his observation:—"The next object of attention was a Titmouse of the large black-headed kind, swinging himself about like a rope-dancer, and whistling out his sing-song just like a fellow sharpening a saw. To my surprise the gentleman entered an old Magpie's nest, to which I had paid frequent friendly visits during the previous spring; he immediately came out again and jumped about, sharpening his saw as before. One might almost as well handle a hedgehog as a Magpie's nest; in this instance some cuttings of gooseberry bushes, skilfully woven into an arch above it, rendered it rather more untempting than usual. I was meditating how to commence the attack, when another Tit flew out in a great choler, and rated me as though I had already robbed her. After a good deal of trouble, during which the slender fir-top was swinging about with me in thebreeze, I succeeded in obtaining a peep into the nest; there was nest within nest, the cosiest, softest, warmest little nest, with eight delicately speckled eggs at the bottom of the Magpie's more spacious habitation. I declined meddling with them."
THE SOMBRE TIT.
The SOMBRETIT(Parus lugubris).—"This bird," says Mr. Gould, "does not approach the British Islands, nor even the more temperate parts of the European Continent. Its habitat is almost restricted to the European confines of the Asiatic border; it has, however, never been observed in Austria, or any part of Germany, although pretty common in Dalmatia. The male and female are alike in plumage, and may be thus described:—The whole of the upper surface is of a brownish ash-colour, becoming deeper on the top of the head; the secondaries and tail-feathers are slightly margined with white; throat brownish black; the cheeks and the whole of the under surface white, slightly tinted with brownish grey; beak and feet lead-colour."
THE COLE TIT.
The COLETIT(Parus ater).—The head, neck, and upper breast are black; the cheeks and nape white. The length of the bird is four inches and a half, its breadth seven inches. The bill is black, the irides hazel, the legs are lead-grey; the upper part of the plumage is greyish, the belly yellowish white. The covers of the secondaries and those above are tipped with white, forming two bars across the wing. In the female the white on the cheeks is less extended.
This species is generally spread over the continent of Europe, and is almost as frequent in Great Britain as the Great Tit or the Blue Tit. It has been considered by some naturalists to be identical with the Marsh Tit, but may at once be distinguished from that bird by the white patch on the nape of the neck, and the white spots on the wing-covers, which are not to be found on the Marsh Tit at any age. The Cole Tit frequents woods and plantations, especially those in which oak, birch, and fir trees are numerous, and may be seen in company with other birds of similar habits, roving from tree to tree in search of the small insects and seeds on which they subsist. "In the pine forests of the Dee and Spey," says Macgillivray, "where very few birds are met with, it is pleasant to follow a troop of these tiny creatures, as they search the tree-tops, spreading all round, fluttering and creeping among the branches, ever in motion, now clinging to a twig in an inverted position, now hovering over a tuft of leaves, picking in a crevice of the bark, searching all the boughs, sometimes visiting the lowermost, and again winding among those at the very tops of the trees. In wandering among these woods you are attracted by their shrill,chirpingnotes, which they continually emit as they flutter among the branches." "In woodlands," says Mr. Hepburn, "it is common to see it hopping along the grounds, and uttering its harsh notes, 'If hee!' 'if hee!' It delights to examine a ditch that has just been cleaned out. I have seen it pull small earthworms to pieces and devour them."
"It is a matter of curious inquiry," says Gilbert White, "to trace out how those species of soft-billed birds that continue with us the winter through, subsist during the dead months. The imbecility of birds seems not to be the only reason why they shun the rigour of our winters, for the robust Wry-neck (so much resembling the hardy race of Woodpeckers) migrates, while the feeble little Golden-crested Wren, that shadow of a bird, braves our severest frosts without availing himself of houses or villages, to which most of our birds crowd in distressful seasons, while he keeps aloof in fields and woods; but perhaps this may be the reason why they often perish, and why they are almost as rare as any bird we know.
"I have no reason to doubt that that the soft-billed birds which winter with us subsist chiefly oninsects in their chrysalis state. All the species of Wagtails in severe weather haunt shallow streams, near their spring-heads, where they never freeze; and, by wading, pick out the chrysalis of the genus ofPhryganeæ.
"Hedge Sparrows frequent sinks and gutters in hard weather, where they pick up crumbs and other sweepings, and in mild weather they procure worms, which are stirring every month in the year, as any one may see that will only be at the trouble of taking a candle to a grass-plot on any mild winter's night. Redbreasts and Wrens in the winter haunt outhouses, stables, and barns, where they find spiders and flies, that have laid themselves up during the cold season. But the grand support of the soft-billed birds in the winter is that infinite profusion of chrysalids of theLepidoptera ordowhich is fastened to the twigs of trees and their trunks, to the poles and walls of gardens and buildings, and is found in every cranny and cleft of rock or rubbish, and even in the ground itself.
"Every species of Titmouse winters with us. They have," continues our author, "what I call an intermediate bill, between the hard and the soft, between the Linnæan genera ofFringillaandMotacilla. One species alone spends its whole time in the woods and fields, never retreating for succour, in the severest seasons, to houses and neighbourhoods, and that is the delicate Long-tailed Titmouse, which is almost as minute as the Golden-crowned Wren, but the Blue Titmouse or Nun (Parus cæruleus), the Cole Mouse (Parus ater), the Great Black-headed Titmouse (Fringillago), and the Marsh Titmouse (Parus palustris), all resort at times to buildings, and in hard weather particularly. The Great Titmouse, driven by stress of weather, much frequents houses, and in deep snows I have seen this bird, while it hung with its back downwards (to my no small delight and admiration) draw straws lengthwise from out the eaves of thatched houses, in order to pull out the flies that were concealed between them, and that in such numbers that they quite defaced the thatch, and gave it a ragged appearance.
"The Blue Titmouse, or Nun, is a great frequenter of houses, and a general devourer. Besides insects, it is very fond of flesh, for it frequently picks bones on dunghills. It is a vast admirer of suet, and haunts butchers' shops. It will also pick holes in apples left on the ground, and be well entertained with the seeds on the head of a sunflower. The Blue Marsh and Great Titmice will, in very severe weather, carry away barley and oat-straws from the sides of ricks.
"How the Wheat-ear and Whin-chat support themselves in winter cannot be so easily ascertained, since they spend their time on wild heaths and warrens, the former especially where there are stone-quarries. Most probable it is that their maintenance arises from the aurelia of theLepidoptera ordo, which furnish them with a plentiful table in the wilderness."
"That some guess may be formed of the possible extent of good or evil occasioned by small birds," says Bishop Stanley, "we annex the result of our own observations on the precise quantity of food consumed by certain species, either for their own support or that of their young, remarking at the same time that the difference observed in the instances may be partly accounted for by the different quantity of food required by young birds at different periods of their growth.
"Sparrows feed their young thirty-six times in an hour, which, calculating at the rate of fourteen hours a day, in the long days of spring and summer, gives 3,500 times per week, a number corroborated on the authority of another writer, who calculated the number of caterpillars destroyed in a week to be about 3,400.
"Redstarts were observed to feed their young with little green grubs from gooseberry-trees twenty-three times in an hour, which, at the same calculation, amounts to 2,254 times in a week, but more grubs than one were usually imported each time.
"Chaffinches at the rate of about thirty-five times an hour for five or six times together, whenthey would pause, and not return for intervals of eight or ten minutes; the food was green caterpillars.
"The Titmouse sixteen times in an hour.
"The comparative weight consumed was as follows:—
"A Greenfinch, provided with eighty grains by weight of wheat, in twenty-four hours consumed seventy-nine; but of a thick paste, made of flour, eggs, &c., it consumed upwards of one hundred grains.
"A Goldfinch consumed about ninety grains of Canary seed in twenty-four hours.