103 



SOME NOTES ON THE NESTING OF THE 

 NUTHATCH. 



BY 



A. H. MACHELL COX. 



Although the Nuthatch {Sitta enropc^a hritannica) is well 

 known and docs not shun observation, I am venturing to 

 put together one or two notes, partly on habits which I 

 have not seen commented on. The most remarkable may 

 perhaps be an individual peculiarity, but I am inclined to 

 think there is more in it. For two years a box was used 

 at a height of about 30 feet in a wych elm close to my house. 

 On both occasions the ground beneath was littered with green 

 leaves quite undamaged, which the birds stripped off from 

 all the twigs near the box ; I came to the conclusion that 

 they prefer to ha\'e an uninterrupted view of the hole and 

 its immediate surroundings. Three other boxes since used 

 were already fully exposed to view, and in their case no 

 leaves were pulled off. The male is always, I think, on duty 

 while the female is building. For years I have been in the 

 habit of taking down notes on his different whistles, so 

 insistent and arresting as to surprise the least observant. I 

 should say that there are seven — not more — distinct themes, 

 with variations thereon. A ringing " twee, twee, twee, twee !" 

 is chiefly characteristic of a male on guard, assuring the 

 busy worker that the coast is clear. This is very different 

 from his agitated alarm-note, should the Starling (Sturnns v. 

 vulgaris) intrude in any way, although the plastering pre- 

 cautions have really made his stronghold impregnable. 

 Singularly enough my own inspection of a box at any stage 

 has invariably been watched without protest, even when it 

 has involved handling the eggs or young. The box referred 

 to abo\-e was of German make and originally designed for 

 the smaller Tits. The Nuthatches coveted it when it was 

 in the possession of a Blue Tit {Par us c. obscurns), and spent 

 many laborious hours at frequent intervals enlarging the 

 hole ; their siege, prolonged well into May, was unsuccessful, 

 and they did not force an entrance till many months later, 

 in time for the following season. Even in these circum- 

 stances endless trouble was taken with plastering both inside 

 and outside the hole ; they did not reduce its circumference 

 at all, but smoothed and rounded off the edges. Both birds 

 took their turn, at any rate at the preliminary work, which 



