262 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 



a pale brown, or sort of mouse-colour; the wing- 

 coverts are black, with a transverse bar of buffy 

 white ; the primary quills are black, with a broadish 

 bar of white about three-quarters of an inch from the 

 tip of each feather ; the secondaries and some of the 

 tertials are black, very distinctly marked with large 

 irregular spots and bars of white : the tertials nearest 

 the body have a very large irregular patch of black, 

 shaded to dullish fawn at the tip, outer edge and rest 

 of the feathers white ; the tail is black, with a very 

 distinct band of white entirely across the centre ; the 

 under tail- coverts are white : the rest of the under 

 parts pale fawn : the legs, toes and claws are 

 black. * 



The egg of the Hoopoe, according to Meyer's pic- 

 ture, is white. 



NUTHATCH, Sitta europcea. The Nuthatch is by 

 no means an uncommon bird ; it is resident with us 

 all the year, and may always be seen climbing in all 

 directions about the trees in every orchard and plan- 

 tation : it differs from most of the other climbers in 

 being able to climb downwards as well as up, so it is 

 not compelled like them to fly to the bottom of a 

 tree and then work its way upwards, but it can alight 

 wherever it likes, and work its way in every direc- 

 tion : though on this account perhaps a better 

 climber than any of the other Scansores, it has 



* Yarrell, vol. ii., p. 187. 



