38 BULLETIN 195, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Eggs. — Nests of the brown-headed nuthatch have been reported to 

 contam as few as three eggs and as many as nine, but the prevailing 

 numbers are five or six, most commonly five. The eggs are ovate or 

 rounded-ovate in shape, and they have practically no gloss. The 

 ground color is usually white, but sometimes light creamy or buffy 

 white. They are usually more heavily or more profusely marked than 

 are the eggs of other nuthatches and are often very handsome. The 

 markings may consist of fine dots evenly distributed, or small spots 

 or blotches more or less concentrated about the larger end ; rarely the 

 ground color is largely obscured by the heavier markings. The pre- 

 vailing colors of the markings are various shades of reddish brown, 

 "ferruginous" or "cinnamon-rufous"; some eggs are quite heavily 

 blotched with "chestnut"; and some show underlying spots or small 

 blotches of various shades of lavender or "plumbeous." The measure- 

 ments of 50 eggs average 15.5 by 12.3 millimeters ; eggs showing the 

 four extremes measure 16.7 by 12.6, 15.2 by 14.2, 14.1 by 12.3, and 16.6 

 by 11.4 millimeters. 



Young. — ^The period of incubation is said to be about 14 days, and 

 Wayne (1910) says that both sexes share this duty; the male some- 

 times calls the female oft the nest while she is incubating. According 

 to Mr. Wayne (1910), only one brood is raised in a season. Both 

 parents help to feed the young in the nest and for some time after 

 they leave it, while they continue to travel about in the tree tops in 

 family parties. Dr. Francis Harper (1929) describes such a family 

 party as follows : 



About 5 p. m. on April 10 I noticed a number of Brown-headed Nut-hatches 

 among some pines in an old field. Presently three or four of them huddled 

 together a couple of feet from the tip of a long limb 35 feet from the ground. 

 The limb was well provided with twigs and needles. Then a couple of others 

 began visiting those lined up on the limb and feeding them. I was astounded 

 to realize that fledglings were abroad thus early in the season. Sometimes the 

 adults passed over the food from a perch on the same level, but about as often 

 as not they clung to the under side of the limb in acrobat fashion and fed the 

 youngsters from below. 



By degrees several more came and lined up on the limb, till there were finally 

 six, if not seven, all touching each other in close array. Some faced in one 

 direction, some in the other. They kept up a gentle, musical twittering. The 

 adults often gave their loudest call (a nasal, twanging knee-tnee; knee-tnee-tnee) 

 as they searched the pine cones, limbs, and trunks for food. They also gave, 

 while so engaged, a much lower, conversational note : pik. Once in a while one 

 of them would hammer some piece of food on a limb, in the manner of one of the 

 larger species of nuthatches. 



Up to about 5 : 30 p. m. the old birds fed the youngsters assiduously, returning 

 every half minute or so. Then, when the latter were pretty well quieted, though 

 the sun had scarcely set, the old birds disappeared for some minutes. Eventually 

 they returned, but did not go to the young ones, merely feeding industriously in 

 the adjacent trees. All this was so like a human family, where the babies are 

 given an early supper and put to bed, after which the parents can attend to 

 some of their own wants. 



