A HISTORY OF KENT 4 November 1894, Mr. Thomas Weston of Standen House, Benenden, observed a bird which flew close to him. It was shot at, but not obtained. A few days afterwards he identified the bird as the same as some dip- pers, obtained in Scotland, in Mr. Springett's shop in Cranbrook. The country below Benenden is not at all an unlikely locality for one of these birds, since there are several running streams that find their way into the Rother. 33. Bearded Tit or Reedling. Panurus biar- micus (Linn.) Many years ago the bearded tit or reed- pheasant ceased to exist in Kent, and there is now no likelihood of its ever returning owing to the drainage of our marshes and reedy places, while the constant cutting over of the reeds affords these shy birds no asylums for their nests. Formerly it was a resident. In the second edition of his British Ornith- 5%y, published in 1 821, Graves writes: 'The bearded titmouse is found in considerable abundance in the extensive tracts of reedland from Woolwich to Erith in Kent' ; while in the days of Dr. Plomley of Lydd (about 1840), whose collection of Kent birds is now in the Dover Museum, ' the reed-pheasant was occasionally found in Romney Marsh ' (Bartlett, Zoo/. 1884, p. 621). Mr. George Dowker, writing in 1889, says, 'the Rev. B. Austin shot one in the Monkton Marshes some years ago.' In 1 865 three specimens, one male and two females, were shot at Burham near Maidstone (Prentis). Before that time it probably ceased to breed in the county. In my collection I have a pair obtained from Romney Marsh in 1844, and by the worn condition of the female's plumage these birds had evidently bred that year in the marsh. 34. Long-tailed Tit. Acredula caudata{h n.) Locally, Bottle Tit, Muffle Tit. A common resident. From October on- wards small parties of these birds may fre- quently be observed threading their way through our larch plantations and copses. By the time March has come these parties have paired off and then resort much to orchards, where they often select the lichened boughs of the apple trees for their nests. An example of the typical A. catidata, distinguished from our British bird by the entire head being white, was obtained near Dover Castle by Mr. Gordon and is now in the collection of Mr. Walter Prentis of Rainham, where I have seen it. 35. Great Tit. Parus major, Linn. The great tit, locally known as ' ox-eye,' is very common throughout the county. It begins to utter its shrill staccato note, like the whetting of a saw, very early in the year, if the weather is mild, becoming very persistent in March. Curious nesting sites are frequently chosen by this tit. On more than one occa- sion in the Cranbrook neighbourhood I have found the nest built in an old squirrel's drey ; but holes in fruit trees are for the most part chosen, the birds often returning to the same nesting site in several successive seasons till the nesting material collected together assumes great proportions. A nest taken at Bedge- bury in 1896, built in a disused pheasant's coop, was of remarkable dimensions shaped like a square block of well-felted moss. 36. Coal-Tit. Parus ater, Linn. Locally, Blackcap. Locally distributed. Where the marsh-tit is present this species is generally absent. This I think is due to the pugnacity and quarrelsome nature of the marsh-tit. The coal-tit is a retiring bird and keeps much to our fir plantations, especially during the breeding season, while the marsh-tit may often be found nesting in our gardens. 37. Marsh-Tit. Parus palustris, Linn. A common resident. The nesting site of this species varies according to the nature of the locality. About Cranbrook holes in pollard willows close to running water and in other decayed trees (often bored by the bird itself) are generally selected. In the Rainham district low stubbs in the woods are taken for nesting sites (Prentis). Both this and the preceding species very often nest in holes in the ground. This bird has been known to conceal her eggs before commencing incubation should her nest be in the vicinity of any disturbing influence. In May 1896, in a garden near Cranbrook, this tit built its nest in an old decayed laburnum, close to a spot where rubbish was continually being deposited. The nest, when I found it, contained two eggs which were carefully covered over and con- cealed with a thin layer of hair and wool, felted together. The next morning the three eggs were similarly treated. After the full complement were laid incubation commenced and the young eventually hatched. This tit is also, like the coal-tit, locally called ' blackcap.' 276
