THE NUTHATCH. 283 



writer, "thus form some idea of the immense number of 

 insects destroyed by this and similar birds, bearing espe- 

 cially in mind, that this was in a room, where the human 

 eye could scarcely recognize a dozen insects altogether, 

 and that in the open air, insects would, doubtless, be 

 much more numerous. Though so actively engaged in 

 its own occupation, it seemed to care little for the pre- 

 sence of a spectator ; for it sometimes alighted on either 

 my head, my shoulders, or fingers ; and, when settling, 

 would permit me, at any time, to put my hand upon it 

 and take it up, though when in my hand it would struggle 

 to get away. It seemed likely to live and thrive, when 

 unfortunately, on settling in front of a dove-cage in the 

 room, one of the doves thrust its head through the wires 

 and struck it forcibly with its beak. At first the poor 

 little bird did not appear to suffer from the blow, but it 

 never flew again ; and about an hour afterwards, on my 

 taking it up in rny hand and throwing it up, it could 

 only flutter to the ground ; and, on my laying it on the 

 table, it stretched out its little feet, shivered, and died." 

 In walking through woods, a rapping sort of noise 

 may be frequently heard high up in trees ; and, though 

 the hearer feels pretty confident that he is within a few 

 yards of the spot from whence this rap, rap, rap, pro- 

 ceeds, he may fail in finding out the cause ; but, if he 

 has a keen eye, he may at last perceive a small grayish 

 blue-backed bird, with a yellowish breast, busily em- 

 ployed, knocking away with the full force of its head, 

 beak, and body, as if the whole were one solid mass, 

 moving on the hinges of its thigh-bones. After a while, 

 the bird will be seen to glide, rather than climb, up or 

 round the stem, and disappear, till it is again detected 

 by a repetition of the rap, rap, rap. It is the Nuthatch,' 

 in the act of examining trees for insects, or engaged in 

 hammering nuts to pieces, which it first adroitly fixes in 

 a crevice of the bark, and, when the shell is broken, eats 

 the kernel. Should the nut accidentally fall, it will dart 

 down, and, in most cases, catch it with its claws before it 



