238 BIRD WATCHING 



them except whilst hanging on the trunk of the tree 

 perpendicularly and head downwards, and when he 

 stopped and clung to it again he was in precisely 

 the same position. The drop each time might have 

 been from four to six or seven inches. It never 

 appeared to me to be more. Both the blue-tit, there- 

 fore, and the wren have acquired the habit of creeping 

 about the trunks of trees, in search, presumably, of 

 insects or spiders, as do the tree-creepers, wood- 

 peckers, and nut-hatch. The former of them can 

 descend the trunk, but not, it would appear, without 

 the aid of its wings, either wholly or in part. For 

 the wren, I saw him descend once, as I think, in a 

 quick side-eye-shot ; but some nettles intervened, 

 and I cannot be sure." 



" On the next morning I am at the same grove, 

 and, about seven, a good many blue-tits fly into it, 

 one of which is soon busily occupied on the trunk 

 of a fir-tree. I now observe that this bird uses his 

 wings even in ascending the trunk, for though he 

 certainly crawls up it, yet he accompanies each fresh 

 advance, after a pause, with a little flutter, and 

 advance and flutter end commonly together, taking 

 him but a very little way. A tree-creeper on the 

 same tree, who moves deftly about, pressed much 

 flatter to the trunk and never using his wings, gives 

 a good opportunity of comparing the two birds — 

 the professional and the amateur. Now, both accord- 

 ing to my memory and my notes, the tits I saw 

 yesterday did not flutter at all while ascending the 

 tree — at any rate, that one which I saw quite close 

 both ascending and descending, on which my note 

 was principally based, did not ; for though I saw 



