SITTA. NUTHATCH. 47 



scarcely a third of the length of the second, the fourth longest, 

 but the third and fifth almost equal ; the third, fourth, fifth, 

 and sixth cut out on the outer web ; the secondaries long and 

 rounded. Tail ^sliort, generally even, of twelve moderately 

 broad, weak, rounded feathers. 



The genus Sitta is composed of small birds, varying in size 

 from that of a Coal Tit or Regulus to the length of six or seven 

 inches. They inhabit the warmer and temperate parts of both 

 continents, but are more numerous in America, only one species 

 occurring in Europe. In the form of their bill, in that of their 

 feet, but more especially in their general appearance, and in 

 their colouring, as well as in their habits, they present a con- 

 siderable affinity to the Tits, between which, on the one hand, 

 and the Creepers and Woodpeckers on the other, seems to be 

 their station in a natural arrangement. 



The Nuthatches, according to the observation of persons 

 who have studied their habits, are remarkable for restless 

 activity, move with extreme quickness up and down the 

 branches and trunks of trees, searching for insects in the cre- 

 vices of the bark and among the leaves, cling and hang to the 

 twigs, turning with astonishing agility in all directions, utter 

 every now and then a loud shrill note, fly from tree to tree in 

 the woods, visit the gardens occasionally, and associate with 

 Creepers, Tits, and small Woodpeckers. Their flight is rapid, 

 generally short, but sometimes protracted ; their food consists 

 of insects, pupae, and larvae of various kinds, as well as of 

 acorns, chestnuts, and other hard fruits, which they split or 

 perforate with their bill, after fastening them in a crevice. 

 Not unfrequently they betake themselves to the ground in 

 search of food, and come into the immediate vicinity of houses 

 in winter. They nestle in holes, generally formed by them- 

 selves in decayed trees. They have the singular habit of sleep- 

 ing with their head downwards, as they cling to the surface 

 of a tree, and, unlike the Creepers, which can only ascend, they 

 are equally expert at descending a trunk or branch ; nor do they 

 require to aid their ascent by pressing their tail against the sur- 

 face. 



