106 THE NUT-HATCH 



and when it holds a nut, it pierces the fruit easily; thence 

 its English name of nut-hatch. 



It runs over the boughs of trees in every direction, 

 hanging often with its head downward, in search of cater- 

 pillars and small grub. It choses its dwelling ordinarily 

 in the depths of the forest where it leads a most indus- 

 trious, solitary life. It is a silent bird. The only cry it 

 utters when pursuing insects is a soft murmur : ti ! ti ! ti ! 

 Sometimes it introduces its bill into the bark of a tree, 

 making a peculiar, loud, jarring noise, as if it wished to 

 frighten the prev it is pursuing, and to take advantage of 

 its disarray to surjirise it more easily. In spring, the male 

 nuthatch has a peculiai- cry like a roll-call : guiric ! guiric ! 

 it repeats this crv constantly when calling its sweet-heart. 



As soon as pairing has taken place, the husband and 

 wife both busily arrange the nest, which they have Iniilt 

 in the holes of a tree. If the opening is too large, they 

 build it up with mud, leaving only sufficient room for their 

 own egress and ingress; they consolidate this masonry yet 

 mor(^ l)v mixing some pebbles with mud, and that is why 

 this bird in Fiance is often called « Pic macon ». In this 

 obscure nest the female lays five or six greyish eggs, 

 with I usset coloured spots. It hatches them assiduously, 

 whilst the male goes to look for food. The young ones are 

 hatched in May, and as soon as they are strong enough to 

 seek their own subsistence, the family separates. « Peasants 

 have observed, » says the naturalist Belon, « that the male 



