THE WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH. 239 
and this bird is master of it all. Top side, bottom side, inside, outside—this 
bird is there, fearless, confident ; in fact, he rather prefers traveling head down- 
ward, especially on the main trunk route. He pries under bark-scales and 
lichens, peers into crevices and explores cavities in his search for tiny insects, 
larvee and insects’ eggs—especially the latter. The value of the service which 
this bird and his close associates perform for the horticulturist is simply incal- 
culable. There should be as heavy a penalty imposed upon one who wantonly 
killed a Nuthatch or a Chickadee, as upon one who entered an enclosure and 
cut down an orchard or a shade tree. 
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Taken at McConnelsville. Photo by C. H. Morris. 
PATRONIZING THE FREE-LUNCH COUNTER. 
The Nuthatch has a variety of notes, all distinguished by a peculiar nasal 
quality. When hunting with the troop, he gives an occasional softly resonant 
tut or tuttut, as 1f to remind his fellows that all’s well. The halloo note is more 
decided, tin, pronounced a la Francais. By means of this note and by 
using it in combination, they seem to be able to carry on quite an animated con- 
versation, calling across from tree to tree. During the mating season and 
often at other times they have an even more decided and distinctive note, 
quonk, quonk, quonk, or ho-onk, ho-onk, in moderate pitch and with deliber- 
ation. Their song, if such they may be said to have, consists of a rapid succes- 
