Rural School Leaflet 821 



and the neck are glossy black; the sides of the head are white, as is the 

 breast. The bill is blackish and so are the legs and feet. The wing 

 feathers are dark brown edged with pale gray. The upper middle tail 

 feathers are bluish, like the back; the others are dark brown and spotted 

 with white in such a manner that when the tail is spread it has a large 

 white patch on either side. The chickadee is gray in color, while the 

 nuthatch is bluish gray; but the most striking difference is the black bib 

 of the chickadee, which the nuthatch lacks entirely. The bill of the 

 chickadee is short — " a sharply pointed little pick just suited to taking 

 off insect eggs" — while the bill of the nuthatch is long and slender, 

 being as long as, or longer than, the bird's head. 



Observations on the habits of the nuthatch. — i. Is the nuthatch seen most 

 commonly on tree trunks or up in the smaller branches? 



2. Does it alight on a tree trunk with head up or down? 



3. When climbing a tree does it ascend in a spiral route? 



4. When descending a tree does it go head downward? How does it 

 compare in this respect with the downy woodpecker? 



5 . Does it use its tail as a brace when climbing a tree, as does the downy ? 



6. How are the nuthatch's toes arranged to enable it to cling to the 

 trunk? 



7. What is the note of the nuthatch, and has it more than one note? 



8. What is its food and where is it found? 



9. How does the nuthatch open an acorn? 



10. Of what use is the nuthatch to the farmer and the fruit grower? 

 Facts for teachers. — The nuthatches and chickadees usually hunt 



together, the chickadees ordinarily taking the smaller branches and the 

 nuthatches the larger branches and tree trunks. The nuthatch is quite 

 likely to alight head downward on a tree trunk, and it also often climbs 

 the tree in a spiral route; it runs about over the tree so rapidly that it 

 has been called the " tree mouse." Three characteristics distinguish 

 this bird from the woodpeckers: it descends a tree trunk head first; its 

 tail is short and square across the end and is never used as a brace; it 

 has three toes directed forward, and one very long and strong one directed 

 baclavard. 



The common note of the nuthatch may be spelled " ank, ank " or 

 " yak, yak," but these birds have for each other some quite different, 

 and very sweet, little confidential notes. While the nuthatch is fond 

 of acorns and nuts and also the larvae which are the " worms " in nuts, 

 it is also fond of all kinds of insects and spends much time hunting for 

 those that are hidden in the bark of trees. It is therefore a help to the 

 farmer and the fruit grower by destroying so many injurious insects. 

 It is comical to see a nuthatch take off a bit of suet, wedge it into a crevice 



