250 WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH. 



The Tufted Titmouse is a more southern bird than 



the Chickadee and is rarely found north of northern New 



Jersey, where, however, it remains 



Tufted Titmouse, ^hronkiout the year. It is six inclies 



Par us bicolor. . i i " , i • • i i i 



m length, gray above, wlntish below, 

 with a black forehead, reddish brown sides, and a con- 

 spicuous crest. Its usual call is a whistled jjeto^ jpeto^ 

 peto^ which it will utter for hours at a time. It has also 

 a de-de-de-de call, suggesting the Chickadee's well-known 

 notes, but louder and more nasal. 



With no especial structure other than slightly enlarged 

 toe nails, the Xuthatches still differ markedly from other 



mite-breasted ^^^^'^^* ^" ^^^^ ^^^^ '^'^^^^ ^'^^^^'^ they run 



Nuthatcli, ^^P or down tree trunks. The tail is 



Sitta caroiuiemis. short and Square and is not used in 



Plate LXXi. chmbing. The bill is rather slender, 

 but proves an effectiye instrument in remoying insects' 

 eggs and larvge from creyices in the bark and even in 

 excayating a nesting hole in some decayed limb. Several 

 species also use it to crack or " hatch " nuts after they 

 have wedo:ed them in a convenient crevice. 



Of the three species of Xuthatches found in eastern 

 North America the White-breasted is the most common 

 and generally distributed, being a permanent resident from 

 Florida to northern Xew England. Like many resident 

 birds, it nests early, the five to eight eggs being dej^os- 

 ited about April 20. They are white, thickly and 

 evenly spotted and speckled with reddish brown and 

 lavender. 



This Nuthatch's usual call-note is a loud yank^ 

 yanlt^ while its song is a singular, tenor haJi-hah-hah- 

 hah-hah. 



The Red -breasted Nuthatch is a more northern bird 

 than its larger, white-breasted cousin. At sea level it 

 nests from Maine northward, but in the higher parts of 



