NUTHATCH. 63 
display their natural propensities upon whatever wood-work 
may be used to confine them. Even in their wild state they 
are far from shy, and may be approached pretty closely in 
the ‘sweet spring time,’ when the male bird is engaged in 
singing ditties ‘to his mistress’s eyebrow.’ 
The Nuthatch does not often alight on the ground, though 
it does so occasionally in search of food. It does not use 
its tail as a rest in climbing trees, as the Woodpeckers do, 
but its claws are sufficiently ‘prehensile and adhesive to enable 
it to traverse the trunks of trees in every direction, not only 
upwards like those birds, but downwards also. Its not 
requiring the help of its tail for the ‘facilis descensus,’ is 
doubtless the reason of its organization being such as to 
enable it to do without its aid at all. It supports itself 
mainly on the hind part of the leg, and what may be called 
the heel. Its posture on the tree is straight, and close to 
the bark, and it does not aid its progress by an occasional 
hop, as is the case with the Woodpeckers, but steps along 
quickly and smoothly. It flies rather rapidly, with an undu- 
lating motion, if to any ee but otherwise, in a straight 
line, “with flapping wing 
Nuts are its favourite food. Tt also feeds on berries, acorns, 
beech-mast, seeds, barley, oats, and other grain, heetles oe 
other ea and caterpillars, and, according to Bewick, will 
pick bones; and lays up in different little granaries, a supply 
of food against a day of want. 
The note sounds like the syllables ‘quit, quit,’ and it is 
uttered repeatedly while the ‘ups and downs’ of the bird are 
being quietly and stealthily performed upon the tree on which 
it seeks its sustenance. 
The nest is placed in some hole ina tree. If the entrance 
is too large they narrow it with clay, until it is of the right 
width. It is lmed with dry leaves, the scales of fir-cones, 
moss, bits of bark and wood, and sometimes a little grass. 
The eggs, from five to seven, or eight or nine in number, 
of an oval form, are greyish white, spotted, and sometimes 
much blotted with reddish brown. 
Male; weight, about six drachms; Jength, about five inches 
and three quarters; bill, dark lcad-colour, dusky at the tip, 
dingy white at the base of the lower part; it is very hard 
and pointed: a black streak runs from it through the eye to 
the shoulder; iris, bright chesnut; over it is a white band; 
head, crown, " neck on “the back, and nape, light slate-colou=; 
