HOME BIRDS 31 



for insects and their eggs, looks us over for a sec- 

 ond or two, grunts another "yank-yank" and then 

 continues his hunting. 



Evidently we are not as pleasing to White-breast 

 as we are to Chickadee. His curiosity about us 

 is soon satisfied. With patience and nuts we may 

 sometimes Induce him to perch on our hand, but It is 

 the nut and not good-fellowship that attracts him. 

 But we always welcome Nuthatch, and if he does not 

 seem to care especially for us, he never hesitates to 

 accept an invitation to our lunch counter. 



Nuthatch ought to be one of the great successes 

 in the world of birds, for he is one of the few birds 

 that seem to give thought to the morrow. We 

 have all seen dogs bury bones, and some of us have 

 seen a gray squirrel hide a nut, or have found the 

 chipmunk's winter supply of provisions. This habit 

 of storing food is not uncommon with animals that 

 spend their lives in one place. But birds are more 

 independent. If food fails .. one part of the coun- 

 try, their wings can soon take them to a land of 

 abundance. It is not necessary for them to think 

 about to-morrow's dinner. They have no closets or 

 cellars for hoarding food. 



To this rule White-breast, or as he has also been 

 called, White-vest, is an exception. Watch him 

 when he comes to your food-shelf. See how freely 



