THE NUTHATCHES. 69 



The female does not differ from the male, but the young birds are much more dusky in colour than 

 the adults, and have longer tails. This curious fact is witnessed also in the case of some of the 

 Humming-birds. 



THE NUTHATCHES (Sitting;). 



These birds have longer bills than the Titmice, and their plumage is more compact, that of the 

 last-named birds being rather fluffy. They are all inhabitants of the northern parts of the Old and 

 the New World, being well represented in North America. True Nuthatches also occur in the 

 Himalayas and in the hills of Burmah ; in India and the Malayan Islands, the Blue Nuthatches 

 (Dendrophila), an outlying representative of which is seen in the Coral-billed Nuthatch (Hypherpea 

 coral? irostrin) of Madagascar ; in Australia and New Guinea the Nuthatches belong to a closely-allied 



tOSIMOX NUTHATCH. 



but distinct genus (Sitella). Like the Titmice, these birds build generally in the hole of a tree ; 

 but a striking exception to the general rule is exhibited in the British Museum, where there is 

 a nest of the Nuthatch, presented by Mr. Bond, composed entirely of mud, and built into the 

 side of a haystack. Mr. Bond writes : " I have received this summer from the neighbourhood of 

 East Grinstead a nest built by a pair of Nuthatches, which is so remarkable in its construction, and 

 in the site selected for it, that I think a notice of it is worth recording. It is well known that 

 the Nuthatch almost invariably makes use of a hole, either in a tree or wall, in which to deposit 

 its eggs, and is not, in the strict sense of the word, a nest-builder. In this instance a haystack was 

 selected, and the birds, by pulling out a quantity of the hay, and plastering up the hollow with 

 mud brought from a considerable distance, formed a nest of similar construction to that of a Swallow, 

 but very much larger, with an entrance-hole near the top, and the ends of the hay stems neatly 

 embedded in the mud. The particulars which were sent to me with the nest are shown in the 

 following letter of my correspondent : 



" ' East Grinstead, September 8th, 1871. 



" ' SIR, The height of the nest from the ground was between five and six feet. The lining 

 was composed of decayed leaves only (enclosed are a few which fell from the nest during the packing). 

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