204 LECTURE XVI. 



so that it appears like a mouse. It builds its 

 nest in a hole in a tree, and it is plastered round 

 with clay, leaving only sufficient room for itself 

 to pass in and out. A gentleman of my ac- 

 quaintance saw this operation on one of his 

 trees; and when the birds had finished their 

 plastering, a pair of starlings came and pecked 

 away the clay, and took possession of the hole. 

 The poor nut-hatches were in despair, flying 

 backwards and forwards, when my acquaintance 

 nailed some pieces of wood on each side of the 

 hole, and made it too small for the starlings to 

 get in, so the nut-hatches brought clay and 

 completed their nest. If one is caught and put 

 in a cage it will hammer with its beak on the 

 woodwork all day and all night, till it is ex- 

 hausted and dies. No persecution will force 

 this little bird from its habitation when sitting. 

 It defends its nest to the last extremity, strikes 

 the invader with its bill and wings, and makes 

 a hissing noise, and, after every effort of despair, 

 will suffer itself to be taken in the hand, rather 

 than quit. It is no uncommon thing to find in 

 the crevices of the bark of an old tree a great 

 many nut-shells. It fixes the nut firmly in a 

 chink, and pecks at it till it has broken it. It 



