NUTHATCH. 527 



is that it perches freely across a twig, whilst the latter birds prefer to 



rest upon it with the body parallel. In its movements upon the trunk of 



a tree the Nuthatch is not unlike a fly on a wall. It progresses by a series 



of little runs, now in this direction, now in that. It seems to be quite 



immaterial whether the direction be up or down; indeed it seems to 



prefer to stop with its head down, possibly to see better who is watching it 



from below. It is restless and active, ever lively, and ever in motion 



amongst the tall forest trees. From its somewhat shy and retiring habits 



it is far more often heard than seen, and its shrill call-note is very 



frequently the only sign of its presence. The Nuthatch, as its name 



implies, is extremely fond of hazel-nuts. It often carries a nut to some 



crevice in the bank, placing it securely, and hammering at it with its 



strong bill until the shell is broken and the kernel obtained ; and it has 



in many cases a favourite chink which serves it for a vice, just as the 



Flycatcher or the Shrike will have a favourite perch or a Falcon a regular 



dining-table. In time quite a heap of broken shells will accumulate 



beneath the tree — evidence of the bird's unwearying patience and skill. 



The beech- woods in autumn are the Nuthatch's paradise, if the year has 



been a favourable one for the mast. Beech-nuts are not so hard to break 



as hazel-nuts ; but they are treated in a similar manner ; and the bird also 



eats acorns, fir-seeds, the stones of the hawthorn and other fruits. The 



Nuthatch feeds on insects when the nutting-season is over ; and it is just 



as diligent in its search for them as the Creepers and the Tits are. It 



explores not only the rugged trunk of the tree in a hurried zigzag course, 



but also the buds and branches ; and sometimes it will pay a hurried visit 



to the ground to regain a fallen nut or feed upon the beech-mast under 



the trees. 



The Nuthatch is a resident, and does not appear to wander far from 

 its chosen haunt. In severe weather a solitary bird will sometimes make 

 its appearance in places where it is not usually seen; and birds will 

 also come from the woods in the filbert-season to these trees to regale 

 themselves upon their favourite food. The call-note of this engaging 

 little bird is a sharply uttered liquid whit-ivhit, rapidly repeated, not 

 unlike the sound produced by striking the air with a cane. It has no 

 song; but in the pairing- season the call-note is much louder, more plain- 

 tive, and drawn out into two syllables, wee-it. 



Like most non-migratory birds, the Nuthatch is a somewhat early 

 breeder, and begins to build towards the middle of April. The site of the 

 nest is almost invariably in a hole in a tree; but other situations are 

 sometimes chosen^ as, for instance, in a hole in a wall, as mentioned by 

 Hewitson — and, stranger still, in the side of a haystack. An example of 

 one taken from the latter site, and now in the British Museum, is a most 

 remarkable structure^ the mass of clay connected with it weighing some 



