In the house, it may be fed on hemp seed, oats, barley meal, or even bread. The way in which it crushes the hemp seed and oats is very curious; it takes as many as it can in its beak, and ranges them in order in the cracks of the floor, always taking care to put the large end lowest, that it may break them more easily; it then begins to despatch them one after another with the greatest skill and agility.
The lady who has been occasionally mentioned in the introduction, amused herself in the winter, and particularly when the snow was on the ground, with throwing, several times a day, different kinds of seeds on the terrace below the window, in order to feed the birds in the neighbourhood. These soon became accustomed to this distribution, and arrived in crowds when they heard the clapping of hands, which was the signal used to call them. She put some hemp seed and cracked nuts even on the window-sill, and on a board, particularly for her favourites, the blue tits. Two nuthatches came one day to have their share in this repast, and were so well pleased that they became quite familiar, and did not even go away in the following spring, to get their natural food and to build their nest in the wood. They settled themselves in the hollow of an old tree near the house; as soon as the two young ones, which they reared here, were able to fly, they brought them to the hospitable window where they were to be nourished, and soon after disappeared entirely. It was very amusing to see these two new visiters hang or climb on the wall or blinds, whilst their benefactress put their food on the board. These pretty creatures, as well as the tits, knew her so well, that when she drove away the sparrows which came to steal what was not intended for them, they did not fly away also, but seemed to know that what was done was only to protect and defend them.
These nuthatches remained near the house for the whole summer, rarely wandering, till one fatal day, at the beginning of the sporting season, in autumn, they no sooner heard the report of a gun than they disappeared, and were never again seen. It is possible that fear alone had driven them so far that they could not find their way home again; they did not know that there they would have been in greater safety.