NUTHATCH. 527 
is that it perches freely across a twig, whilst the latter birds prefer to 
rest upon it with the body parallel. In its movements upon the trunk of 
a tree the Nuthatch is not unlike a fly on a wall. It progresses by a series 
of little runs, now in this direction, now in that. It seems to be quite 
immaterial whether the direction be up or down; indeed it seems to 
prefer to stop with its head down, possibly to see better who is watching it 
from below. It is restless and active, ever lively, and ever in motion 
amongst the tall forest trees. From its somewhat shy and retiring habits 
it is far more often heard than seen, and its shrill call-note is very 
frequently the only sign of its presence. The Nuthatch, as its name 
implies, is extremely fond of hazel-nuts. It often carries a nut to some 
crevice in the bank, placing it securely, and hammering at it with its 
strong bill until the shell is broken and the kernel obtained ; and it has 
In many cases a favourite chink which serves it for a vice, just as the 
Flycatcher or the Shrike will have a favourite perch or a Falcon a regular 
dining-table. In time quite a heap of broken shells will accumulate 
beneath the tree—evidence of the bird’s unwearying patience and skill. 
The beech-woods in autumn are the Nuthatch’s paradise, if the year has 
been a favourable one for the mast. Beech-nuts are not so hard to break 
as hazel-nuts; but they are treated in a similar manner; and the bird also 
eats acorns, fir-seeds, the stones of the hawthorn and other fruits. The 
Nuthatch feeds on imsects when the nutting-season is over; and it is just 
as diligent in its search for them as the Creepers and the Tits are. It 
explores not only the rugged trunk of the tree in a hurried zigzag course, 
but also the buds and branches; and sometimes it will pay a hurried visit 
to the ground to regain a fallen nut or feed upon the beech-mast under 
the trees. 
The Nuthatch: is a resident, and does not appear to wander far from 
its chosen haunt. In severe weather a solitary bird will sometimes make 
its appearance in places where it is not usually seen; and birds will 
also come from the woods in the filbert-season to these trees to regale 
themselves upon their favourite food. The call-note of this engaging 
little bird is a sharply uttered liquid whit-whit, rapidly repeated, not 
unlike the sound produced by striking the air with a cane. It has no 
song; but in the pairing-season the call-note is much louder, more plain- 
tive, and drawn out into two syllables, wee-dd. 
Like most non-migratory birds, the Nuthatch is a somewhat early 
breeder, and begins to build towards the middie of April. The site of the 
nest is almost invariably in a hole im a tree; but other situations are 
sometimes chosen, as, for instance, in a hole in a wall, as mentioned by 
Hewitson—and, stranger still, in the side of a haystack. An example of 
one taken from the latter site, and now in the British Museum, is a most 
remarkable structure, the mass of clay connected with it weighing some 
