Parus cristatus, LINNÆUS; La Mésange huppée, BUFFON; Die
Haubenmeise, BECHSTEIN.
This bird is four inches and a half in length, of which the tail
measures one and one third. The beak is four lines, and black; the
shanks are seven lines high, and lead blue; the head is adorned with a
crest, composed of feathers nearly an inch long, black tipped with
white, which the bird can erect at pleasure in a conical form.
HABITATION.--When wild these birds frequent all the pine and fir woods
in Thuringia, but are not so numerous as the other species[114]. They
fly about low bushes, and therefore delight in places where juniper
bushes abound.
In the house they require the same treatment as the blue tit, and
even greater attention; they can rarely be tamed when taken full
grown[115].
FOOD.--In a wild state it feeds in the same manner as the cole tit.
In the house it must be first fed on ants' eggs, flies, and
meal-worms. It will afterwards eat nuts and hemp-seed, like the other
tits, but it seems to require insects occasionally.
BREEDING.--The nest is formed like that of the cole tit, and placed in
the hole of a tree, amongst some stones, or in large forsaken nests.
The brood consists of from six to ten snow-white eggs, spotted with
bright red. The young must be reared on meal-worms cut small and
ants' eggs.
MODE OF TAKING.--This is the same which is adopted for catching the
cole tits. Its call is "_gærrky_."
ATTRACTIVE QUALITIES.--Its song is not striking, but its form and
habits are very pleasing.