I 



THE SEARCHERS. 



21 



closely resemble their parents. Almost every part of the world, if we except Central and Southern 

 Africa and South America, affords a home to some members of this family ; and everywhere forests 

 and woodland districts are their principal resort, but they are also occasionally found in rocky localities. 

 So extraordinary are the climbing powers of these birds that they not only exhibit unrivalled agility 

 when disporting themselves in their favourite trees, but are actually capable of descending a 

 perpendicular wall or mass of rock ; a feat, we believe, never attempted by any other members of the 

 feathered creation. All the various groups remain throughout the entire year in their native lands, 

 and merely wander to a short distance from their birthplace after the breeding season. Insects and 

 seeds of various kinds afford them means of subsistence. The nest is placed in a hole of a tree, or a 



"^■'jy 



THE COMMON NUTHATCH [Stda arsia). 



fissure in a rock or wall, the entrance being carefully covered with clay or similar material. The eggs, 

 from six to nine in number, have a light shell, spotted with red. 



THE COMMON NUTHATCH. 

 The Common Nuthatch {Si/fa casia) is deep grey on the mantle, and reddish yellow on the 

 under side ; a black stripe passes across the eyes to the nape ; the chin and throat are wliite, the sides 

 and lower tail-covers reddish brown, and the quills blackish grey, with light borders (those at the 

 exterior are white at the root) ; the centre tail-feathers are blueish grey, tlie rest deep black, marked 

 with blueish grey at the tip ; those at the exterior are also decorated with white spots. The eye is 

 brown, the beak light grey above and deep grey on its lower portion, and the foot greyish yellow. This 

 species is six inches long, and ten broad ; the wing measures three inches and a quarter, and the tail 

 one inch and two-thirds. The female is distinguished from her mate by her inferior size, the 

 comparative paleness of her under side, and the narrowness of the black line across the eyes. 



