282



Henry S. Shaw, Junr.,



I had heard that the Red-breasted Nuthatch had the habit of

surrounding its nesting hole with pitch, so I was on the watch for it,

and one morning, when the light was right, I saw that there was a

thin layer of pitch close to the hole. At first this layer was so thin

and transparent that it was noticeable only when the sun was shining

on it at the right angle, but as the nesting season advanced more and

more pitch was added, so that before long it could be seen easily even

at a considerable distance. Some of the pitch was later melted by

the heat of the sun and ran down the front of the box in drops. The

pitch was placed at the lower right-hand side of the hole, but there

was in addition a thin layer which almost encircled the hole. There

was one place, however, at the lower left-hand side of the hole where

the pitch was absent, and it was always at this point that the birds

clung before entering the hole.


Natmrally I hoped I might find some clue to the birds’ purpose

in putting on the pitch, but in this I was disappointed. Not only

did I fail to observe the actual process of applying the pitch, but I

was unable to see that its presence affected the movements of the

birds in any way, except that they always entered the hole at the

place where the pitch was absent. There was nothing to indicate

that the pitch would be effective in keeping out enemies or in catching

insects which might serve as food. I discussed this matter with

Mr. C. J. Maynard, the naturalist, and he suggested that it might be

a relic of some ancestral habit, when perhaps the female may have

been entirely sealed in during the nesting period. In this connection

he pointed out that at the present time there are certain species of

Hornbills in Asia and Africa in which the females are plastered up in

the nest by the males and are fed by the latter through a small hole.

But whatever is the explanation in the case of the Red-breasted

Nuthatch, it is a habit on which it would be well to have more

information.


Naturally, I w T as very desirous that the birds should not be

in any way disturbed, at least until they had become thoroughly

established in their new home. Therefore I made no attempt to see

the eggs. But on May 22nd I felt quite sure that the young had

hatched, so I cautiously lifted the lid of the box, and looking in, saw

a downy blackish mass, in which I could count seven yellow bills.



