THE NUTHATCH 133 



bill is delicate and slightly curved ; the upperside of the 

 body is the same grey of the tree trunks, spotted with 

 white. It lays five sometimes as many as nine milk- 

 white eggs, delicately speckled with rust-red and blood- 

 red spots. The nest is made in crevices, small holes, 

 sometimes between the loosened bark and the tree, and 

 is composed of fine soft material. 



THE NUTHATCH. 

 (Sitta ccesia.) 



Wherever in wood or garden the Nuthatch dwells its 

 voice is heard. It calls sometimes a flute-like " tuui, 

 tiliii tilili ' sometimes a quick " kwee, kwee, kwee " 

 and it is always very busy. It is the only bird 

 we have that can climb head downwards and that 

 as quickly as it is safe. The beak is strong and 

 pointed. It picks out of crevices and from under 

 the bark of trees everything that is there in the way of 

 grubs and beetles and insect eggs. In the autumn it 

 gets at oily seeds, conceals nuts and filberts in suitable 

 crevices and knocks them till they crack. It does the 

 same with the gall-nuts in order to get at the maggots 

 or chrysalis of the gall-wasp. It is an absolutely useful 

 bird and one not uncommon with us in Hungary. 



This bird is common in most districts in the centre 

 and south-east of England where there is old timber. 

 In the westward it is less common. In some old parks 

 in Yorkshire it appears again, but is rare elsewhere in 

 the northern counties. In Scotland it is not very often 



