April 



breasted is plain, the red-breasted is plainer. 

 But that makes little difference to the naturalist ; 

 he has conquered another world in finding a new 

 species, and beauty is sometimes a superfluity. 



The nuthatches are peculiar fellows in that 

 they have little fear, but a great deal of curi- 

 osity. In a very pert and comical manner one 

 will stretch out its neck, cock its head on one 

 side, and coolly examine a person passing by. 

 But the difference between impudent boldness 

 and artless inquisitiveness is as easily distin- 

 guishable in a bird as in a human being. 



This particular specimen seemed to show an 

 unwonted degree of curiosity in watching me ; 

 and doubtless, from a bird's point of view, a 

 person under an umbrella, looking through an 

 opera-glass, is a somewhat startling piece of 

 mechanism that might well astonish a Canadian 

 nuthatch. 



In habits, range, and note the two species 

 closely resemble each other. The red-breasted 

 is smaller, has a black stripe on the side of the 

 face, and is of a pale rusty color beneath ; whereas 

 the other has a clear white face and is nearly 

 white beneath. It is a strange habit of the 

 nuthatches that they rest and even sleep cling- 

 ing to the tree-trunk head downward. 



121 



