The Nuthatch. | 51 
of affording a banquet when no more could be found 
on the filbert-stems. 
The Nuthatch is a solitary bird; but, nevertheless, 
it is very common in our woods and orchards, and 
persons wishing to see it ina country stroll have only 
to keep an attentive ear for a quick-repeated short 
note, like two flint stones being knocked together, or 
if a sound of frequent tapping on a decayed arm of a 
tree fall on their ear, they have only to look in the 
direction from whence the sound comes, and they will 
see this bird clinging to the bough in any position it 
may choose, hammering with its bill in fast action. 
The motion of the Nuthatch on trees gives it the 
appearance of sliding in short spaces round the 
branches, instead of taking steps, and playing the 
game of peep-bo. When on the ground in search of 
_ beech-nuts, it hops in a straight, short, decided man- 
“her, and when it has found a nut, will generally fly to 
the base of another tree, and place the beech-seed in 
one of the rough pieces of bark if such a tree as an 
oak or an elm is near; should all the trees around be 
beech, it will secure it in one of the folds where the 
strong roots rise from, generally seen in these trees, _ 
and eat the kernel there. 
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