“Because, besides liking to eat insects and their grubs or their eggs, he is also very fond of some kinds of nuts, like beech and chestnuts,” said the Doctor, “and he may be obliged to live entirely upon them in winter, when insects fail him.  Having no teeth to gnaw and crack them open as squirrels do, he takes a nut in his claws and either holding it thus, or jamming it tight into a crack in the bark, then uses his bill for a hatchet to split or hack the nut open.  I have seen the bird crack hard nuts in this way, that it would take very strong teeth to break.  People used to call him ‘Nuthack’ or ‘Nuthacker’; these words mean exactly the same thing, but we always say ‘Nuthatch’ now.”

“Then there are Nuthatches up in the hickory woods,” said Rap, “but I never knew their real name until now; for the miller calls them ‘white-bellied creepers.’  Last summer I found one of their nests, when I wasn’t looking for it either.”

“Do they build here?” asked Olive.  “I thought they only visited us in winter.  I don’t remember ever hearing one sing, or seeing one in late spring or summer.”

“They live and nest everywhere in the eastern part of the country,” said the Doctor; “but they are very silent and shy except in the autumn and winter.  In fact, this Nuthatch keeps his nest a secret from everybody but his wife and the Dryad of the tree in which he places it; he will not even trust the little branches with his precious home, but makes it in the wood of the tree itself.  You say, Rap, that you found one of these nests—­won’t you tell us about it?”

“It was this way,” said Rap.  “I was up in a hickory tree trying to look over into a Woodpecker’s hole that was in another tree, when I stepped on a stumpy branch that was rotten and partly broke off; and there, inside, was a soft nest made of feathers, with, four very little birds in it.  I was afraid they would fall out, but there was enough of the branch left to hold them in.  While I was wondering what sort of birds they were, the father and mother came running along a branch above, and gave me a terrible scolding, so pretty soon I slid down and left them.  How they did squeak!” and Rap laughed at the remembrance of it.

“They have not very musical voices at best,” said the Doctor; “even their spring song is a rather husky performance.”

“Isn’t that a Nuthatch now?” asked Nat.  “There—­hanging to the end tassel of the big spruce; and a lot more above—­do come and look, Olive.”

“No, Nattie, they are the Chickadees that father said, a moment ago, you might mistake for Nuthatches.”

“Chickadee-dee-dee!” said a bird, looking at the children with one eye.

The White-breasted Nuthatch

Length about six inches.

Upper parts grayish-blue.

Top of head and back of neck black.

Some black and white marks on wings and tail.