BIRD BIOGRAPHIES 



woodpeckers and the creepers can take care of the rest. 

 Of course these other birds get something of a downward 

 view as they bend their heads forward, but the Nuthatch 

 has the advantage of seeing, before he gets to them, some 

 insects which even a Brown Creeper's gentle approach 

 would scare into closer hiding in their holes and cran- 

 nies." 2 



In addition to beetles, moths, caterpillars, ants, and 

 wasps, the nuthatch eats seeds, waste grain, and nuts such 

 as acorns, beechnuts, and chestnuts.^ His habit of wedg- 

 ing nuts into some crevice that will hold them securely, and 

 then using his strong bill as a hatchet to "hatch" open the 

 nuts is well-known. From that habit he derives his name, 

 which Mr. Forbush says originated probably from nuthack 

 or nuthacker. The bird does much good, and no harm 

 that is known. 



He is active and cheerful, inquisitive, and intelligent. 

 He makes an interesting winter companion. During an 

 ice-storm in Asheville, N. C, a nuthatch was attracted by 

 fragments of bread scattered for the hungry winter birds 

 during their famine time. This nuthatch pounced on 

 large crumbs so greedily and purloined them so rapidly 

 that my sisters feared he would die of acute indigestion! 

 They finally discovered that he had wedged the crumbs 

 into large crevices in the bark of a tree near by, and had 

 stowed one good-sized crust in a hole in a telegraph-pole. 

 When he had appropriated most of the bread, he spent the 

 day feasting, going from one store house to another. 



A nuthatch in Massachusetts frequently sought an im- 



2 Educational Leaflet No. 59. 



3 Farmers' Bulletin 513 — Biological Survey, U. S. Department of Agri- 

 culture. 



[74] 



