222 BRITISH LAND BIRDS. 



of the climbing birds, which attract attention in 

 the woods.* The former is a small grayish, blue- 

 backed bird, which runs and creeps, more like a 

 mouse than a bird, when climbing the branches ; 

 and may be heard rapping away with all its force, 

 high up in the trees, either examining the bark 

 for insects, or busily engaged in hammering nuts 

 to pieces, which it manages by first adroitly fixing 

 the nut in some crevice of the bark, and then 

 striking it with all its might, breaking the shell, 

 and catching up the kernel before it falls. It is 

 a great favourite with observers, is resident here 

 all the year, and frequents woods and plantations 

 in the winter, being sometimes seen in orchards 

 and gardens. 



The actions of this bird are very interesting. 

 Like the other true climbers, it builds in holes ; 

 if the external hole is large the nut hatch plasters 

 up part of it with mud ; and if the plastering be 

 removed, the bird almost invariably renews it 

 the first or second day. As it has frequent and 

 obstinate battles with some of the titmice for the 

 possession of a favourite locality for nesting, this 

 may be the reason for this proceeding, since the 

 smallest breach is most easily defended. In refer- 

 ence to this habit of working with plaster, one of 



* They are not yoke-toed, and are without the extensile 

 tongue of the wryneck and woodpecker- 



