114 NUTHATCH. 



owing to the presence of some questionably valid species. Our 

 bird is absent from Malta, Sardinia and Corsica ; but in the last- 

 named island it is represented by a very distinct species, S. white- 

 headi, with white under parts and — in the male — a jet-black head, 

 named by Dr. R. B. Sharpe after its discoverer. 



The Nuthatch begins to breed about the middle of April ; 

 generally making its nest in some hole in a limb of a tree, and 

 occasionally between the buttresses of a trunk, close to the ground. 

 A hole in a wall is sometimes selected ; and, in many instances, the 

 aperture is filled up with clay and small stones, leaving only a 

 narrow orifice for entrance. An extraordinary nest in the British 

 Museum, presented by the late Mr. F. Bond, was placed in the side 

 of a haystack, and measured thirteen inches by eight, the weight of 

 the clay being eleven pounds. Some distance inside the cavity is a 

 bed of dry leaves or of the scales of the Scotch fir, on which the 5-7 

 eggs are deposited. These are white, spotted with reddish-brown — 

 larger and more boldly blotched than those of the Great Titmouse : 

 measurements 77 by "56 in. In spring the male utters a loud and 

 shrill whistle, as well as tiii-tui-tui ; there is also a bubbling or churring 

 note. When courting he spreads his tail, displaying the white spots, 

 and puffs out the feathers of the breast. In autumn the bird feeds 

 largely on hazel-nuts, which it fixes in some crevice, and then 

 proceeds to hammer with its bill until the shell is broken, each 

 stroke being delivered with the full weight of the body, working from 

 the hip joint ; whence the names of Nuthatch (/>., Nuthack) and 

 Nutjobber. It is also partial to beech-mast, and will eat many kinds 

 of hard seeds, as well as acorns, and even corn in times of scarcity ; 

 but during a considerable portion of the year it feeds on insects, 

 for which it searches on trees and on the ground. At such times 

 its motions resemble those of a mouse rather than of a bird, being 

 upward, sideways or downward, with equal facility ; while, according 

 to Jardine, and also Blyth, the head and back are sometimes down- 

 wards, when roosting. 



Adult male : the upper parts generally of a bluish-slate colour ; 

 quills browner ; central tail-feathers slate-grey, the remainder black at 

 their bases, barred and tipped with white and grey ; a black streak 

 running from the base of the bill through the eye to the side of the 

 neck ; above the eye a narrow white streak ; chin and cheeks white ; 

 throat and belly rich buff; flanks and under tail-coverts streaked 

 with dark chestnut ; bill horn-colour, lighter at the base ; legs and 

 feet brown. Length 57 in.; wing 3-4 in. The female is rather 

 duller in colour, and the young are decidedly so. 



