THE NUTHATCH. 313 



a sparrow, creeping by starts up the trunk of any rough 

 barked tree. It is so intent on its occupation that of 

 searching for insects in the crevices of the bark that it 

 takes no notice of the observer, but pursues its course 

 after a method of its own, but according to no rule that 

 we can detect. Now it disappears on one side of the 

 trunk and then shows itself a few inches higher on the 

 other ; now it is lost to sight for a longer interval one 

 would think it was hiding, or had taken its departure 

 but no, there it is again, creeping, back downwards, along 

 a horizontal branch ; arrived at the extremity it utters a 

 double twitter, perhaps, and flies either to a new tree or to 

 another branch of the same. This time it creeps from the 

 extremity of a branch towards the bole of the tree, equally 

 at ease whatever may chance to be its position, and no 

 more affected by gravity than a fly. Arrived at the main 

 stem it keeps on its course, still advancing by starts, and 

 accompanying every movement, as, indeed, it has been 

 doing all along, by an almost imperceptible twinkling of 

 its wings, something like that which has gained for the 

 Hedge Sparrow the sobriquet of " Shuffle-wing." That no 

 other bird but the Nuthatch has the power of creeping 

 down a tree I cannot say, for I once observed a Tree- 

 creeper descend for a few inches; but no other British 

 bird does habitually hunt after this method ; by this habit 

 consequently it may be discriminated. Equally comfort- 

 able in all positions, if it has any choice, or desires to rest, 

 it clings to the upright trunk of a tree, head downwards. 



The Nuthatch is singular, too, in its mode of nidification. 

 The only nest which I have thoroughly examined was 

 built in the hollow of an apple-tree,* and was composed 

 entirely of scraps of birch-bark. The Naturalist con- 

 tains a description of one made of beech-bark, though 

 probably here, too, birch is meant; others are described 



* See the Author's " Birds' Nests," p. 12. (Society for Promoting 

 Christian Knowledge.) 



