THE BIRDS OF COOKHAM AND THE NEIGHBOURHOOD. 105 
English species. The true Sitta Zuropea seems to be entirely 
confined to the Scandinavian Peninsula, while the S. cesia is 
not confined to Great Britain, but is also the Nuthatch of France 
and Central Europe. The notion that the Nuthatch was allied to 
the Woodpeckers which is still to be found in some Natural 
History publications, is most certainly erroneous; as the species 
is decidedly Passerine, whereas the Woodpeckers belong to the 
Picaria, an entirely different order of birds. The real position of 
the genus Sitta I believe to be near the Tits (Paride), forming 
perhaps a link between these birds and the Creepers ( Certhia). 
Like both of these, the Nuthatch builds in the hole of a tree, 
while everyone knows the general similarity of its eggs to those 
of the birds above-mentioned. : 
No sort of climbing comes amiss to the present species and he 
may be seen to run up or down a tree, along or underneath the 
branches, while his presence is often first indicated by the rasping 
noise made by the bark as he detaches it from the tree. If by 
vigorous tapping the Nuthatch cannot induce the insects to come 
out of their hiding places, he soon makes short work of the 
matter, by inserting his wedge-shaped bill, admirably adapted 
for the purpose, under the bark, and tearing off a large piece. 
He is particularly fond of frequenting oak-trees, and I have often 
seen two or three on this kind of tree at once. When engaged 
in hunting for insects, the Nuthatch utters a sharp twittering noise 
which is by no means inharmonious. 
Fam. CexrtHipz. 
Genus CERTHIA. 
Certhia familiaris. The Common Creeper. 
In favourite localities the Tree-creeper is common in the neigh- 
bourhood of Cookham, but is rather difficult of observation. 
Generally the bird first makes us aware of its proximity by its 
note, which is a prolonged hissing sort of whistle, but even then 
it is a hard matter to discover the bird, as its small size and 
quick action render it no easy matter to discover. Sir 
Victor Brooke in Land and Water for May 22nd, 1869, 
states that he ‘‘ was greatly astonished in the Riviera, North 
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