64 



Handbook of Nature-Study 



meat of the nut and the grub feeding upon it. It will wedge an acorn 

 into a seam in the bark and then throw back its head, woodpecker fashion, 

 and drive home its chisel beak. But it does not always use common 



sense in this habit. I have often 

 seen one cut off a piece of suet, fly 

 off and thrust it into some crevice 

 and hammer it as hard as if it were 

 encased in a walnut shell. This 

 always seems bad manners, like 

 carrying off fruit from table d'hote; 

 but the nuthatch is polite enough in 

 using a napkin, for after eating the 

 suet, it invariably wipes its bill on a 

 branch, first one side then the other 

 most assiduously until it is perfectly 

 clean. 



The nuthatches are a great 

 benefit to our trees in winter, for 

 then is when they hunt for hiding 

 pests on their trunks. Their food 

 consists of beetles, caterpillars, 

 pupa? of various insects, also seeds 

 of ragweed, sunflowers, acorns, etc. 

 While the nuthatch finds much of 

 its food on trees, yet Mr. Torrey has seen it awkwardly turning over 

 fallen leaves hunting for insects, and Mr. Baskett says it sometimes 

 catches insects on the wing and gets quite out of breath from this un- 

 usual exercise. 



It is only during the winter that we commonly see the nuthatches, for 

 during the nesting season, they usually retire to the deep woods where 

 they may occupy a cavity in a tree used by a woodpecker last year, or 

 may make a hole for themselves with their sharp beaks. The nest is lined 

 with leaves, feathers and hair; from five to nine creamy, speckled eggs are 

 the treasure of this cave. 



The white breasted nuthatch. 



LESSON XII 



THE NUTHATCH 



Leading thought The nuthatch is often a companion of the chickadees 

 and woodpeckers. It has no black bib, like the chickadee, and it alights 

 on a tree trunk head downward, which distinguishes it from woodpeckers. 



Methods This bird, like the chickadee and downy, gladly shares the 

 suet banquet we prepare for them and may be observed at leisure while 

 "at table." The contrast between the habits of the nuthatch and those 

 of its companions make it a most valuable aid in stimulating close and 

 keen observation on the part of the pupils. 



Observations i. Where have you seen the nuthatches? Were 

 they with other birds? What other birds? 



2. Does a nuthatch usually alight on the ends of the branches of a 

 tree or on the trunk and larger limbs? Does it usually alight head down 

 or up ? When it runs down the tree, does it go head first or does it back 



