366 Herr Scbiitt on the Breeding of the Nuta-acker. 



panied by some day-labourers to wbom I bad promised a bigb 

 reward for tbe discovery of tbe nest of tbe Nutcracker, I ranged 

 over a soutb-eastern spur of tbe Kandel, about 3500 feet bigb, 

 covered witb young fir-plantations ; but an bour's searcb pro- 

 duced no furtber result tban tbat a quantity of squirrels' nests 

 were tbrown down from tbe trees. I tben went witb tbe people 

 to an uncleared clump of firs, about 30 feet bigb, in wbicb I 

 imagined tbe nest would surely be. Wboever knows wbat sucb 

 forests are, especially wben on bigb mountains, will clearly see 

 tbe impossibility, wbicb we perceived after some bours, of making 

 a regular passage tbrougb the dead branches and tbe thick wood. 

 One of my people was already exhausted, and bad given up bis 

 promised reward ; and I myself, in my scratched condition, had 

 formed the idea of leaving tbe good-for-nothing bird (as Herr 

 Baldamus calls it) to its fate, wben a Nutcracker flew out a few 

 paces before us, without, however, uttering any cry. This in- 

 spired new courage, and, in tbe course of half an hour, I found 

 tlie nest in tbe neighbourhood, on a tree 35 feet bigb, bard by a 

 sledge-path, — but, oh disappointment ! without eggs. 



It stood about 25 feet high, close to tbe stem, and was diffi- 

 cult to recognize from below. Tbe nest was found on the'19tb 

 of March ; on the 23rd tbe first egg was laid, and on each third 

 day the two others. After the bird bad been three days with- 

 out laying an egg, the boy, to my regret, took the nest with tbe 

 eggs away. 



At the first discovery of tbe nest, when we were quite near 

 it, tbe bird was heard crying in the distance ; and even when we 

 had left it a mile ofl", it bad not yet become quiet. At tbe taking 

 of the nest, it first flew ofi" as the boy climbed up, and, sitting on 

 the summit of the same tree, intently watched tbe fate of its nest. 



It must here be remarked tbat, of all the allied species, tbe 

 Magpie alone breeds as early as tbe Nutcracker ; but this is in 

 the valleys, some thousand feet below. It is only to the Jay's 

 nest and egg that those of tbe present bird bear any resemblance ; 

 but the Jay appears here only in tbe autumn, wben on passage. 

 Also, to the nest thus taken there is attached some down from 

 tbe belly-feathers, which may be recognized with certainty as 

 belonging to the Nutcracker. 



