96 



gan, May 10th, 187G, a pair of tliese birds were observed carrying 

 material for a nest, into a Icnot-hole in a largo oak, about twcnty-tive 

 feet from the gronnd. The hole was large enough to admit my hand, 

 and several inches deep, but filled to within two inches of the top by 

 the remains of an old squirrel's nest. The birds worked steadily for 

 about a week, lining the cavity with small fragments of dry leaves 

 and pieces of rabbits' fur. Just as the nest was finished a pair of 

 flying squirrels took possession of the premises and the birds sought 

 another location. 



20. S. canadensis Linn. Rkd-bellikd Nuthatch. Rather more 

 numei'ous early in the migrations than the preceding. April 1st to 

 May 10th, and August 25th to October 30th. A rare summer resi- 

 dent. I found a pair near Cliicago with full grown young the first of 

 July, and Mr. Rice observed a pair feeding unfledged young the last 

 of April, 1874, at Evanston. The excavation containing this nest was 

 in a tree, standing on one of the principal streets of the town. It 

 was about twenty feet from the ground. The young were thrusting 

 their heads out of the hole and clamoring for food, thus attracting his 

 attention when they would otherwise have been unnoticed. 



Family CERTHIIDJE. 

 Genus Certhia Linn. 



21. C. familiaris var. americana Bonap. Brown Cukkpkr. 

 Common winter I'esident, arriving October 1st and remaining until 

 May 10th. Particulai-ly abundant the first two weeks of October and 

 of April, when they frequent the streets of Chicago in large numbers, 

 industriously searching the rough t»rick walls for the small spiders 

 which they find in abundance in the numerous crevices. I have seen 

 as many as a dozen of these birds upon the side of a house at once, 

 moving from place to place as readily as though on the trunk of a 

 tree. 



Family TROGLODYTID^. 

 Genus Thryothorus Vieill. 



22. T. ludovicianus Bonap. Ghkat Cakolixa Wren. A rare 

 summer visitant. Abundant in Southern Illinois. 



23. T. bewicki Bona]). Bewick's When. Rare summer resi- 

 dent. A pair of these birds appeared in a vacant lot in Chicago the 

 first of June, 1876, and taking possession of a convenient corner in 

 the roof of an arbor proceeded to raise their young. At intervals 

 through the day the male would mount to the top of some house, or 

 the topmost twig of a tree in the vicinity, and sing for an hour or 

 more. The family suddenly left about the middle of July. 



