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, 

 larvae 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. 



Taken at McC 



elsville. 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 if 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, qitonk, 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- 



