256 THE NUTHATCH. 



round long-legged spiders, which it would drag from their webs 

 and swallow. It sought them also about the ceiling and walls, 

 and found many. It continued all day, without intermission, 

 at this employment, and on an average caught something every 

 minute. 



" We may," says the writer, " thus form some idea of the immense 

 number of insects destroyed by this and similar birds, bearing 

 especially in mind, that this was in a room where the human eye 

 could scarcely recognise 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 presence 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 houi 

 afterwards, on my taking it up in my 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 the trees ; and though the hearer 

 feels pretty confident that he is within a few yards of the spot 

 from whence this rap, rap, rap proceeds, he may fail in finding 

 out the cause ; but if he has a keen eye, he may at last 

 perceive a small greyish blue-backed bird with a yellowish 

 breast, busily employed, 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 reaches the ground, and replacing it in its 

 chink, resume its work. One slightly wounded and caught 



