CREEPY, WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH 315 



f ested his delight by strutting about and hopping over her, 

 then rushing for a beetle to feed her. 



Early in June I became aware that there were young 

 birds in the nest, for the parents were kept busy carrying 

 food from morning till night. They not only fed cater- 

 pillars and small insects that they caught on the trees, but 

 did not hesitate, when other food was scarce, to alight on 

 the ground and hunt among the leaves and grass. In 

 the winter we had formed the habit of putting out bits of 

 suet and in warmer days bits of fresh meat for these birds, 

 which came to look for this food every day. We ceased 

 doing this in the spring, but now when they had a family 

 to feed these birds appreciated a piece of suet as much as in 

 the winter. By the middle of July the young birds left 

 the nest. Creepy continued to feed his children for some 

 time and seemed proud of them. They raised five to 

 maturity. 



