rARID.E — THK TITMICE. 121 



Mr. J. K. Lord louiid tlii.s Xutliati-h an almiuhint bird aloug the entire 

 length of the bouudary line fmui the euast to the Itocky Mountains. It was 

 also common on Vancouver Island. They were seen in large flocks in com- 

 pany with the Chickadees, e-Kcept during the nesting-time, which is in June. 

 A few were winter residents at Colville, but the greater number left in 

 November. He describes it as a very active bird, always on the move. 

 After nesting tbey congregate in large flocks and move about from tree to 

 tree, twittering a low sweet note as if singing to themselves, now climbing 

 back downwards along the under sides of the topmost branches of tall pines, 

 searching into every crevice for insects, or, descending to the ground, cling- 

 ing to the slender flower-stalks for other insects. They nest in June, make 

 a hole in the dead branch of a pine, and deposit their eggs on the bare chips 

 of the wood. This account does not agree with the experience of California 

 ornithologists, who have found a, loose nest within the excavation. 



Mr. Ridgway found this Xut hatch aliundant among the pines of the Sierra 

 Nevada, in the vicinity of Carson City. They were found generally in pairs. 

 Its note is said to greatly resendjle the vociferous peeping of some of the 

 small Sandjupers, being sharp, loud, and distinct, and vigorously and continu- 

 ously uttered, whether climbing or flying. He found it exceedingly hard to 

 discover this bird among the branches, or even when flying, owing to the 

 swiftness and irregularity of its flight. When the female of a pair had been 

 killed, the male liird was extremely loud in his lamentations. Diminutive 

 as this l)ird is, Mr. liidgway states that it is also the noisiest of all the feath- 

 ered iidiabitants of the pines, though it is less active in the pursuit of insects 

 than the larger species. 



Nests of this bird olitained near ilonterey ajjjiear to be as weU made as 

 those of any of this genus, lining the cavity in which they are placed and 

 .conforming to it in size and shape, the materials sufficiently interwoven to 

 permit remoN'al and preservation, and warmly constructed of feathers, wool, 

 vegetable down, hair, and the silky ettlorescence of seeds. 



Their eggs, seven in number, resemble those of the S. canadensis, but are 

 of smaller size and a little more pointed at one end. Their ground-color 

 is crystalline-white. This is covered more or less thickly with red spots, most 

 numerous at the larger end. Their measure varies from .65 by .50 to .60 by 

 .47 of an inch. The first eggs of this bird brought to the notice of natural- 

 ists were procured at Fort Crook on the ITp])er Sacramento of California, and 

 not far from ]\Iount Shasta, by Sergeant John Feilner, U. S. A., forming part 

 of a very extensive collection of birds and eggs transmitted by him to the 

 Smithsonian Institution. Promoted to a lieutenancy for gallant conduct, 

 this gentleman finally attained the rank of captain of cavalry, and was killed 

 by the Sioux during an exploring expedition into Dacotah under General 

 Sully. 



