BIRDS OF MINNESOTA. 425 



After a long period of crisping cold days has softened into 

 one less rigorous "Nuttie, '' and his cousin will put in a joint 

 appearance. Then his monotonous cha-cha- cha-cha will sound 

 as cheery as more varied notes in the sunny season of song 

 would, but his visits are not frequent in winter in this latitude; 

 nor are they prolonged, for when he has dropped, head down- 

 wards, onto the trunk of the leafless tree, and begun his search 

 for larvae and insects, it is not long before every considerable 

 portion of the tree has been searched, and he has bounded 

 away to another. It rarely lights on the ground, and then it 

 remains but a few moments at most. 



In proportion to its size, it is capable of vieing with the 

 woodpeckers in the use of its bill to excavate a hole in a tree 

 for its nest, which is sometimes sunken 14 to 18 inches below 

 the point of entrance. It lays 5 eggs usually, of a pearly- white 

 color, touched sparingly with dark-greenish, or dirty- yellow. 

 The young are brought out early in June. I have not met with 

 more than one brood to a pair in the same season, and from the 

 uniformity of the development of the young in the early autumn, 

 I believe it to be their local habit to rear but the one, whatever 

 may have been observed otherwheres. Under what circum- 

 stances they brave the severity of the winters in Minnesota can 

 only be conjectured, but, presumably, in holes of trees in the 

 swamps where evergreens afford protection from the winds. 



For the species, they may be regarded as abundant in nearly 

 all wooded portions of the State, and much more frequently 

 seen in spring and fall than during either summer or winter. 

 Mr. Grant found them in St. Louis county during the summer, 

 Dr. Hvoslef at Lanesboro in March, Kennicott at Lake of the 

 Woods on May 31st, and Mr. Washburn everywhere in the Red 

 river region in both summer and autumn in abundance. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 



Above, ashy-blue; top of head and neck black. Underparts 

 and sides of head to a short distance above the eye, white. 

 Under tail coverts and tibial feathers, brown; concealed pri- 

 maries, white. Bill subulate, acutely pointed, compressed, 

 long as head; tarsi stout. 



Length, 6; wing, 3.75; tail, 0.90. 



Habitat, eastern United States to the Rocky Mountains. 



