FOR CAGES AND A VIARIES. 145 



of wire, as they would soon bore a wooden one into a 

 congeries of holes and promptly regain their liberty. 



We cannot recommend amateurs to attempt the keeping 

 of this bird, which never appears to get reconciled to con- 

 finement, but persons living in the country can by judi- 

 cious management succeed in taming it to a very large 

 extent, by the easy expedient of placing suitable food on 



NUTHATCHES. 



a window-sill, or if the latter is too narrow on a tray 

 fixed to it. This should be out of reach of cats, and be 

 plentifully supplied with sunflower- and hemp-seed, suet, 

 ants' eggs, and filberts or walnuts extracted from their 

 shells. The Tits will flock to the seeds, and the Nuthatches, 

 as well as maybe on odd Woodpecker, to " the nuts, and 

 after a little while, when they find that no harm is meant 

 to them, all the birds will get very tame and even allow 

 their friend to stand quite close to the shut window, 



