BIRDS 38. Blue Tit. Parus aeruleus, Linn. Locally, Tom-tit. A well distributed resident. It is observed either singly or in pairs throughout the year, haunting the woods and copses in winter and our gardens and orchards in early spring, when it does much good in destroying the eggs of the destructive coccus insect, which infests the bark of apple and pear trees. 39. Nuthatch. Sitta casta. Wolf. Locally, Nutjobber, Woodpecker. In the wooded districts this bird is common, but in some localities its distribution does not always remain constant. Near Cranbrook in 1896 the nuthatch bred very sparingly as compared with former years ; while on the other hand a wonderful increase took place in its numbers in the Tunbridge Wells district. Although the nuthatch is partial to woods as feeding grounds, well-timbered grass land proves a still greater attraction, the turf being care- fully hunted for small worms. In Kent holes in apple trees and oaks are for the most part chosen- as nesting sites, especially those in the former trees. A favourite hole is often resorted to annually. A remarkable instance of the building economy of this species came under my notice in the spring of 1898. On 25 April a pair commenced building in a hole of an old apple tree. The first thing the birds did was to build up a store of clay and mud in the fork of a branch adjoining the nest-hole. Within a couple of days this lump of clay reached a height of six inches and two in thickness. This material was mixed with horsehair and portions of skeleton leaves. All this work was accomplished by the female bird, the male accompanying her on her journeys. The female next directed her attention to the nest-hole itself, filling the bottom with bits of straw and dead grass- stalks. When this was done she commenced to line both sides of the entrance with clay. After this she would gain the entrance, face about and begin to chisel away the rough ends of the clay lining till the surface became smooth. As the building went on the natural aperture of the hole was soon reduced in size, till at length the bird, on issuing from it, had literally to wriggle her body to and fro to get out. She looked a queer little object on leaving the hole, her back and wings coated with mud. A pair of starlings then attacked the nest and destroyed a great deal of the clay lining. The nuthatches however were not to be beaten. To meet this emergency they at once commenced to draw upon their store of clay on the neighbouring branch. Breaking ofF a piece of the hard material the female bird would disappear into the nest- hole, the next minute to appear at the entrance with the clay made soft and ready for use by means of her saliva. In this way the nest- hole was soon rebuilt. During the breeding season — about the middle of April — the clear musical whistle of this bird becomes tremulant and might then be described as a series of bubbling notes. The winter call-note is 'tewit,' rapidly uttered and repeated several times in succession. This cry, merely prolonged and slurred upwards, becomes the spring call-note just mentioned. Towards the end of May, when the young are abroad, this bird becomes silent and is seldom heard again till September, when the winter call-note is resumed. 40. Wren. Troglodytes parvulus, K. L. Koch. A well known resident. In October the numbers of our resident birds are increased by migrants which appear on the south coast, generally after strong south-westerly gales have been experienced, when I have noticed numbers hiding in the sheltered dykes and weather-beaten trees and bushes in the marsh land between Rye and Dungeness. 41. Tree-Creeper. Certh'ia familiaris, Linn. Locally, Tree-crawler. A resident sparingly distributed in the county, but more numerous in the well- timbered and wooded districts. 42. Pied Wagtail. MotacUla lugubris, Tem- minck. A well distributed resident, more numerous at certain seasons than at others. Many of the old birds stay with us throughout the winter. In the early autumn the young of the year begin to move southward, and at that time these are often seen in numbers on our lawns during the heat of an August day busy catching the flying ants. At the end of September they congregate prior to cross- ing the Channel near the sea-dykes between Rye and Dungeness, and gradually edge their way to the latter place, where the passage is shortest. In spring, about the middle of March, adult birds appear along our coast-line, the males as a rule being the first-comers. Al- binistic specimens are now and again met with. There is one in the Dover Museum. This wagtail is locally named ' dishwasher.' 43. White Wagtail. MotacUla alba, Linn. An irregular summer migrant. There arc 277
