350 THE LYRE-BIKD. 



In order to extract the kernel of the nut, the bird fixes the fruit 

 securely iu some convenient crevice, and, by dint of repeated ham- 

 merings with its beak, breaks a large ragged hole in the shell, through 

 which the kernel is readily extracted. The blows are given not merely 

 by the stroke of the beak, but the bird grasps firmly with its strong 

 claws, and, swinging its whole body upon its feet, delivers its stroke 

 with the full weight and sway of the body. 



The nest of the Nuthatch is placed in the hollow of a decaying tree, 

 and the bird always chooses some hole to which there is but a small 

 entrance. Should the orifice be too large to please its taste, it ingeni- 

 ously builds up the hole with clay and mud, probably to prevent the in- 

 trusion of any other bird. If any foe should veutuie too near the nest, 

 the mother-bird becomes exceedingly valiant, and, dashing boldly at her 

 enemy, bites and pecks so vigorously with her powerful beak, hissing 

 and scolding the while, that she mostly succeeds in driving away the 

 assailant. The nest is a very inartificial structure, made chiefly of 

 dried leaves laid loosely upon the decaying wood, and rudely scraped 

 into the form of a nest. 



In its color the Nuthatch is a rather pretty bird, of pleasing though 

 not of brilliantly-tinted plumage. The general color of the upper parts 

 is a delicate bluish gray, the throat is white, and the abdomen and un- 

 der parts are reddish brown, warming into rich chestnut on the flanks. 

 From the angle of the mouth a narrow black baud passes toward the 

 back of the neck, enveloping the eye in its course and terminating sud- 

 denly before it reaches the shoulders. The tail is black on the base 

 and gray toward the tip, except the two outer tail feathers, which 

 have each a black spot near the extremity. The shafts are also 

 black. 



We now arrive at the family of the Wrens, iu which group we find 

 two birds so dissimilar in outward appearance as apparently to belong 

 to different orders, the one being the common Wren of England, and 

 the other the celebrated Lyre-bird of Australia. 



This bird, which also goes under the name of Native Pheasant 

 among the colonists, and is generally called Bullen-bullen by the 

 natives, on account of its peculiar cry, would, if it had been known to 

 the ancients, have been consecrated to Apollo, its lyre-shaped tail and 

 flexible voice giving it a double claim to such honors. The extra- 

 ordinary tail of this bird is often upward of two feet in length, and 

 consists of sixteen feathers, formed and arranged in a very curious and 

 graceful manner. The two outer feathers are broadly webbed, and, as 

 may be seen in the illustration, are curved in a manner that gives to 

 the widely-spread tail the appearance of an ancient lyre. AVhen the 

 tail is merely held erect and not spread, the two lyre-shaped feathers 

 cross each other, and produce an entirely different outline. The two 



