178 My Favourite Summer-Houses. 



or two of it, and keeps on at its business all the while. 

 It seizes a fir-cone in one claw, while with the other it 

 clings to the branch, and with its bill, which you now 

 notice is very singularly shaped (the mandibles curved 

 and crossing each other), and which seems at first 

 sight so awkward, it dextrously breaks open the fir- 

 cone, extracting the seeds, which form its food. This 

 is the delightful cross-bill, rather rare, and so-called on 

 account of the crossing of its mandibles, which show 

 a remarkable instance of adaptation to mode of life. 

 Now this bird, through being hunted and killed, is 

 seldom seen. Its note, jip, jip, jip } frequently repeated, 

 is very characteristic. 



" Tap, tap, tap " once more, but not quick and con- 

 tinuous like that of the woodpecker, and consisting only 

 of two or three taps delivered with far more force. 



What is that ? you in- 

 quire. Well, it is only 

 the nuthatch, which is 

 to be found pretty well 

 wherever the wood- 

 pecker is ; for the nut- 

 hatch likes well to get 

 a home in a deserted 

 woodpecker's nest. But 

 the nuthatch being a 

 much smaller bird than 

 the other, plasters up 

 the hole till it will no 



more than admit his tinier figure ; and he colours the 

 mud, or other material with which he does it, to a 

 fine likeness with the tree-bark where it is, and the 

 nest is usually formed of oak leaves. The clay which 

 the nuthatch uses for this purpose, it glues together 



