262 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 
a pale brown, or sort of mouse-colour; the wing: 
coverts are black, with a transverse bar of buffy 
white; the primary quills are black, with a broadish 
bar of white about three-quarters of an inch from the 
tip of each feather; the secondaries and some of the 
tertials are black, very distinctly marked with large 
irregular spots and bars of white: the tertials nearest 
the body have a very large irregular patch of black, 
shaded to dullish fawn at the tip, outer edge and rest 
of the feathers white; the tail is black, with a very 
distinct band of white entirely across the centre; the 
under tail-coverts are white: the rest of the under 
parts pale fawn: the legs, toes and claws are 
black. * 
The egg of the Hoopoe, according to Meyer’s pics 
ture, 1s white. 
Nuruatcnu, Sitta europea. The Nuthatch is by 
no Means an uncommon bird; it is resident with us 
all the year, and may always be seen climbing in all 
directions about the trees in every orchard and plan- 
tation: it differs from most of the other climbers in 
being able to climb downwards as well as up, so it is 
not compelled like them to fly to the bottom of a 
tree and then work its way upwards, but it can alight 
wherever it likes, and work its way in every direc- 
tion: though on this account perhaps a better 
climber than any of the other Scansores, it has 
* Yarrell, vol. 1i., p. 187. 
