222 C0RV1D.E. 



advantage of every opportunity of obtaining it, for -which 

 purpose he frequents the bathing places of birds, or attacks 

 them during a heavy shower ; he also plunders nests of 

 the young or eggs. When he attacks a bird, he takes it 

 with the beak by the neck, and placing one foot on the 

 head, pecks first the brain, and afterwards devours the 

 bird piecemeal. One individual has been known to devour 

 a squirrel without assistance. 



This bird fills his crop on convenient occasions, in order 

 to masticate and consume the contents at some place of 

 retreat, or hides food in some corner for the next meal. 

 The acorns he softens in his crop, reproduces them, peels 

 them and eats the inside. Hazel-nuts are held with the 

 feet and broken with the beak, &c. ; and its taste for this 

 food is so great, that it will remain in the vicinity of a 

 hazel-tree, if not disturbed, until every nut is devoured ; in 

 such a case, the empty shells are found scattered about. 



In the deepest mountain forests, the Nutcracker builds its 

 nest in a hollow tree, and is said to deposit five or six eggs of 

 a yellow grey colour, spotted sparingly with rust colour, 

 and a few fine dark browm spots. Coch has a nest supposed 

 to be of the Nutcracker, but the eggs are very polished, 

 round-shaped, and of a uniform grey. 



Switzerland is their chief place of resort in Europe. 



Although nearly allied to the crow family, with which it 

 was formerly incorporated, the Nutcracker has points of re- 

 semblance in structure and habits that appear to render it en- 

 titled to generic distinction ; it has accordingly been separat- 

 ed by Brisson from the true crows, under the name of Nu- 

 cifraga, and placed next before the woodpeckers, to whose 

 manners and modes of life it bears much resemblance. Its 

 resemblance in structural form to the woodpeckers, appears to 

 reside chiefly in the beak, which is long, straight, and horny, 

 and like theirs adapted to the excavation of holes in trees 



