40 THE BIRDS OF OUR RAMBLES. 



gooseberry or currant bush in the garden. Dry 

 leaves, grass, or moss form the outer portion, which 

 is then lined with moss, and lastly with a plentiful 

 array of feathers. Here the female lays her half- 

 dozen eggs, pure white, spotted with light red. 

 Insects and their larvae, especially ants' eggs, and 

 fruit are the Wren's chief food, yet in winter-time 

 it will visit the scattered crumbs below the 

 window. 



Amongst the trees in the park, and sometimes 

 on those in the garden and the shrubbery, we 

 chiefly in may frequently observe the NUTHATCH (Sitta 

 centra? nd c&sia\ and still more frequently hear his loud, 

 England. cneer y note of whit, especially during spring and 

 summer. The Nuthatch is a southern species, 

 and becomes more and more local northwards of 

 the Midlands. It is a resident with us, though in 

 autumn and winter it becomes a wanderer, and 

 roams the entire country-side in company with 

 Titmice and Creepers. The bright slate-gray of 

 the upper plumage, and the rich buff of the lower, 

 make this little bird easy of identification. In 

 many of its actions it puts you in mind of the 

 Creeper, running up and down the rough bark, or 

 hopping about the smaller branches like the 

 Titmice, head or tail uppermost, it is all the same. 

 Its food is largely composed of insects and larvae 

 found among the timber, but in autumn nuts and 

 berries are sought after. The repeated hammer- 

 ing of the hard shells is one of the characteristic 

 sounds heard where Nuthatches are about. This 

 bird pairs for life, and returns every season to the 

 old familiar nesting-place. It is rather an early 

 breeder, beginning operations towards the end of 

 April. The nest is placed in a hole in a stump or 



