NUTHATCH. 



birds with anisodactylic feet, of which the characters 

 are : the bill of mean length, straight, circular in its 

 section, depressed, conical toward the point, where 

 the cutting edges are particularly sharp, and the 

 texture very firm. The nostrils are placed at the base 

 of the bill, rounded, and covered by bristly feathers. 

 Four toes on each foot, the external one united to 

 the middle of the base, and the hind one large and 

 armed with a strong claw. There are twelve feathers 

 in the tail, nearly square over at the ends, and with 

 flexible shafts. The first quill of the wing very short, 

 the second also shorter than the third, and the fourth 

 is the longest in the wing. These birds are excellent 

 climbers, and in this respect have no inconsiderable 

 resemblance to the woodpeckers, and also to the tits, 

 the former of which they resemble in their action 

 upon the stems and large branches of trees, and the 

 latter, in their action upon the small branches, from 

 which they can hang suspended in a variety of posi- 

 tions ; and thus search every part of a tree from 

 the bottom of the trunk to the remotest bud, for 

 insects or for nuts and seeds, all of which indis- 

 criminately form part of their food according to the 

 season. 



The typical species is the common nuthatch (Sitta 

 Europcea). It is about six inches in length, with a 

 bill three quarters of an inch long, slender, but firm 

 in its texture, and stiff by both mandibles being 

 curved ; the upper mandible is blackish-blue, the 

 the lower one paler, and yellow at the base. The 

 feet are yellowish-grey, furnished with very strong 

 claws. The male bird is bluish-grey on the upper 

 part, and blue on the forehead ; the cheeks and throat 

 are white, shown off by a black streak which extends 

 from the gape to the neck ; the flanks and thighs 

 are brownish, and the breast and belly dull yellow. 

 The quills are blackish, and the tail-feathers,* which 

 are twelve in number, are bluish-grey, except the 

 lateral ones, which are black, and a white bar crosses 

 the tail near the tip. As a British bird, the nuthatch 

 is confined to the south of England, to nearly the 

 same range as that occupied by the woodpecker ; but 

 it is a bird of different habits, not being migratory. 

 It has not been observed in the extreme west of Eng- 

 land, " We have never," says Montagu,, "observed 

 it far north, nor so far west as Cornwall. It chiefly 

 affects wooded and enclosed situations, choosing the 

 deserted habitation of a woodpecker in some tree for 

 the place of nidification. This hole is first contracted 

 by a plaster of clay, leaving only sufficient room for 

 itself to pass in and out. The nest is then made of 

 dead leaves, most times that of the oak, which are 

 heaped together without much order. The eggs are 

 six or seven in number, white, spotted with rust- 

 colour, so exactly like those of the oxeye in size and 

 markings, that it is impossible to distinguish any dif- 

 ference. If the barrier of plaster at the entrance 

 is destroyed when they have eggs, it is speedily 

 replaced ; a peculiar instinct to prevent their nest 

 being destroyed by the woodpecker and other birds 

 of superior size, which build in the same situation." 



As these birds have no song, they are kept in con- 

 finement only for the sake of their manners, even in 

 those countries where the people are most partial to 

 confine birds. Anecdotes are told of the difference 

 between their manners when they are a sort of par- 

 tially tamed in a free state, and when they are 

 forcibly confined. " A lady," says Bechstein, " amused 

 herself in the winter, and particularly when the snow 



was on the ground, with throwing, several times a 

 day, different kinds of seeds on the terrace below tho 

 window, in order to feed the birds in the neighbour- 

 hood. These soon became accustomed to this dis- 

 tribution, and arrived in crowds when they heard the 

 clapping of hands, which was the signal used to call 

 them. She put some hempseed and cracked nuts 

 even on the window-sill, and on a board, particularly 

 for her favourites, the blue-tits. Two nuthatches came 

 one day to have their share in this repast, and were 

 so pleased, that they became quite familiar, and did 

 not even go away in the following spring to get their 

 natural food, and to build their nest in the wood. 

 They settled themselves in the hollow of an old tree 

 near the house ; as soon as the two young ones which 

 they reared here were able to fly, they brought them 

 to the hospitable window where they were to be 

 nourished, and soon after disappeared entirely. It 

 was very amusing to see these two nev visitors hang 

 or climb on the wall or blinds, whilst their bene- 

 factress put their food on the board. These pretty 

 creatures, as well as the tits, knew her so well, that 

 when she drove away the sparrows which came to 

 steal what was not intended for them, they did not 

 fly away also, but seemed to know that what was 

 done was only to protect and defend them." The 

 different habit of the bird in a state of involuntary 

 confinement is shown in the following account. " A 

 nuthatch, which had been accidentally winged by a 

 sportsman, was kept in a small cage of plain oak- 

 wood and wire. During a night and a day that his 

 confinement lasted, his tapping labour was incessant ; 

 and after occupying his prison for that short space, 

 he left the wood-work pierced and worn like worm- 

 eaten timber. His impatience at his situation was 

 excessive ; his efforts to escape were unremitted, and 

 displayed much intelligence and cunning. He was 

 fierce, fearlessly familiar, and voracious of the food 

 placed before him. At the close of the second day 

 he sunk under the combined effects of his vexation, 

 assiduity, and voracity. His hammering was pecu- 

 liarly laborious, for he did not peck as other birds do, 

 but grasping hold with his immense feet, he turned 

 upon them as a pivot, and struck with the whole 

 weight of his body, thus assuming the appearance, 

 with his entire form, of the head of a hammer, or, 

 as birds may be seen sometimes to do on mechanical 

 clocks, made to strike the hour by swinging on a 

 wheel." 



The common nuthatch is the only one which is 

 found in Europe, or any of the immediately adjacent 

 parts of the world ; but there are some others in 

 America and in the eastern Asiatic islands. These 

 are all like the common species of tree birds, and 

 remarkable for their expertness in climbing ; and their 

 manners do not appear to differ greatly from those of 

 European nuthatch. 



THE CAROLINA NUTHATCH (S. melanocephala) is 

 not an uncommon species in North America, though 

 some have regarded it as only a variety of the Euro- 

 pean one. It differs, however, in many respects, and 

 some very zealous and talented students of animals, 

 Mr. E. Blyth among the rest, are of opinion that, 

 how much soever European and American animals 

 may resemble each other, they are still specifically 

 different. We do not take upon us to decide this ; 

 but we shall quote Wilson's account of the differences 

 between the two, and also his finely characteristic 

 account of the manners of the birds. " The head and 



