42 THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 



ly distinguishable from the preceding, but is somewhat 

 smaller and has less white margins to the wings and tail. 



They nest in holes in trees, frequently in cavities dug 

 by themselves, the nest being built of grass, bark, 

 feathers and hair. The eggs are from five to eight in 

 number, one- half by two-fifths of an inch in size, white, 

 spotted with brown at the larger end. 



They breed in the south eastern United States, being 

 plentiful in southern New Jersey and extremely scarce in 

 the northern part of the state. They remain here all the 

 year. 



The song is a tremulous My luatcher key, changing to a 

 plaintive tetvee-dee, tewee-dee. 



Their food consists principally of insects, with very 

 little fruit, being frequently occupied in looking for 

 insects and larvae in acorns, nuts and rotten parts of 

 bark. 



Chippy. See Chipping Sparrow. 



Chippy^ Winter. See Tree Sparrow. 



Clape, See Flicker. 



Coot^ Cfoir-dnck., or Blue Peter. — Lejigth, fifteen 

 or sixteen inches; extent, twenty-eight inches; bill, four- 

 fifths of an inch. It is of a slate color with a black head 

 and an ivory-white bill, an inch and a half long; the 

 wings and tail are tipped with white and the legs and 

 feet are greenish. It builds its nest of reeds and grasses, 

 in fresh water marshes, the number of the eggs being 

 eight to fifteen, the color pale yellowish white, thickly 

 speckled with brown, and the size one and four-fifths by 

 one and one-fourth inches. It breeds from the northern 

 United States northward and spends the winter in the 

 southern United States and Central America, It arrives 

 in New Jersey in April, but is more plentiful in the fall 

 migration towards the end of September or first of Octo- 



