Evening star., 1947-03-26
This and That
By Charles E. TrdceDeIl
ARLINGTON, Va.

A1ShlN0 1OIN, Va.
Dear sir:
"Our newest window sill tray guest is
red-breasted nuthatch We're hoping.
he will stay and bring his family. His
presence at times with the white
breasted nuthatch has given us good
opportunity to contrast them In size.
"The purple finches, after months
absence, have returned, but are doubt
less on their way north We counted
nine males feeding at the same time
one morning recently. They made
gorgeous sight in sunshiny snow set
ting, especially when our bluebirds
joined them. Our myrtle warbler has
been missing for several weeks, but are
grateful for the chance we had for a
long, close study of him Cor herr.
Your Arlington correspondents let
ter signed P. Y, on the subject of like
nesses between birds and human beings,
recalls one of our last summer observa-
tions. A pair of English sparrows, max
ing frequent trips from our feeding
ground to the nest, arrived regularly,
the male accompanied by female on
each trip, and while she stuffed her
bill to overflowing, never eating any
thing, he ate his fill. We never saw
him carry any food on the flight back,
but he dutifully flew back and forth
with her each time. Is that what might
be called lending moral support?'
I'm our various walks we see much
evidence of bird feeding interest It's
certainly a happy hobby. 1t can even
bring one bounding out of bed at the
crack of dawn at the slightest sound
of an unfamiliar bird song!
again our appreciation of your always
interesting column.
Sincerely, D; Ms"
For some reason or other there are
more ed-breasted nuthatches in Arling-
ton County, Va, than in Montgomery
County, Md.
Many reports of them have come in
over the years from the former, but
none from nearby Maryland. This
column would be interested in hearing
from any Maryland correspondent on
this subject.
the red-breasted nuthatch is officially
Az inches long, as compared with the
6 inches of its white breasted cousin.
Probably 100 of the latter are seen
for every one of the red-breasted nut
matches. The latter are very numerous
in Canada and in New England. They
like coniferous trees.
The white breasted birds prefer the
diciduous trees.
Both specimens walk upside down"
on tree trunks. This is a trait they
share with the cheerful chickadee. The
titmousa, too, is often seen in the COM
pany of nuthatches.
The name "nuthatch" comes from the
old meaning of hatchet, to hack, so
that "nuthack" would really be better
than "nuthatch."
To hatch nut, Of course, means to
hack it, or cut it, which the nuthatch
does with his bill
In some States this innocent bird is
called a sapsucker, which is in total
error. It never harms trees, but on the
other hand helps, by industriously clean
ing up insect eggs and small insects.
It finds the eggs at all times of the
year, and thus is never still In doing
good.
It is believed that this error came
about because very careless observers
confused the nuthatches with the downy
woodpecker. But even this little wood
pecker does no harm to trees, since he
is not after sap at all, but insects and
their eggs. The small holes he may
bore, from time to time, do no harm.
Nuthatches and creepers are grouped
together. Both are officially songbirds,
but this is because of their vocal organs,
rather than any real singing they do.
The white-breasted nuthatch, how
ever, has loud clear voice, and his
''yank, yank" call is one of the COM
mon notes to be heard the year around
in this vicinity.
In other sections of the United States
there are brown-headed nuthatches
and pygmy nuthatches. But slightly
varying forms of the white breasted
nuthatch are called the Florida nut
hatch, the slender -billed nuthatch, and
the Rocky Mountain or Nelson's nut
hatch.