Birds of Britain 



orders of Nature, we shall not walk far before the rasping 

 " che-chi, che-chi " of the little Saw-sharpener, as he is often 

 called, breaks on our ears. We soon see him climbing 

 about on the branches of some wayside tree ; never still, 

 now hanging head downwards as he inspects a bud, seeking 

 for the insect it may contain, or plucking some berry he 

 holds it between his feet, and with a few sharp hammerings 

 of his powerful little beak breaks it open, swallows the seed, 

 and then flits on to the next tree to resume his untiring 

 search for food. Bright in colour, lively in habits and in 

 song, he is such a cheery little fellow that we cannot help 

 regretting the antagonism that is bound to exist between him 

 and the gardener, as the latter watches his promising buds 

 ripped off by this gay-plumaged marauder. True, he is 

 seeking the insect contained in the bud, but in that search 

 it is not to be denied that many an unaffected bud has to 

 suffer. Woods and orchards are his chief haunts, but 

 gardens are frequently visited, and if nest-boxes with small 

 holes be hung up on the trees round the house he and his 

 mate may often be induced to hatch and rear their family 

 under our protection and observation. In spring his saw- 

 sharpening note becomes elaborated into a merry little song, 

 and he proceeds in company with his mate to choose a 

 nesting-site — this is always in a hole in a wall or tree, or 

 even in a letter-box ; the cavity within may be fairly large, 

 but the entrance thereto is often very small — ridiculously so 

 for the size of the bird. The nest is a large accumulation 

 of moss, the whole space being filled up level and a little cup- 

 like hollow being sunk in part of it. About ten eggs, white 

 with a few reddish-brown blotches, are laid. The hen bird 



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