SITTID^: NUTHATCHES. 



277 



Carolina Nuthatch. White- 

 QuANK. <J, adult: Upper parts, 



Carolina Nuthatch, nat. 

 C.) 



S. carolinen'sis. (Lat., of Carolina. Figs. 136, 137.) 

 BELLIED Nuthatch. Treemouse. Devil Downhead. 

 central tail-feathers, and much edging of wings, clear 

 ashy-blue ; M-hole crown, nape, and back of neck glossy 

 black. Under parts, including sides of neck and head 

 to above eyes, dull white, more or less marked on flanks 

 and crissum with rusty-brown. Wings and their cov- 

 erts blackish, much edged as already said, and with 

 an oblique bar of white on outer webs of primaries 

 toward their ends; concealed bases of primaries white; 

 under wing-coverts mostly blackish; b(dd bluish and 

 black variegation of inner secondaries. Tail, excepting 

 the two middle feathers, black, each feather marked 

 with white in increasing amount ; outer web of lateral 

 feather mostly white. Bill blackish -plumbeous, pale at base below. Feet dark brown. Iris 

 brown. Length 5.50-6.00; extent 10.50-11.00; wing 3.50; tail 1.75; bill about 0.66 long, 

 0.18-0.20 deep at base. 9 : Similar; black of head imperfect, mixed or overlaid with color of 

 back, or altogether restricted to nape. Eastern U. S. (except S. Atlantic coast region) and 

 British Provinces, resident, abundant in woodland, where its curious quank, quank, quank may 

 often be heard as the nimble bird hops up and down the tree-trunks. Nest in holes, often ex- 

 cavated by the birds with infinite labor, lined with fur, feathers, grasses, etc. ; eggs 5-8, 0.80 X 

 0.60, white, profusely speckled with reddish and lilac. 



S. c. at'kinsi. (To John W. Atkins, of Key West, Fla.) Florida White-breasted Nut- 

 hatch. Said to be smaller than the last, to the extent of 0.15-0.20 iu average length of wing; 



bill said to be longer, 0.69-0.78 ; wings 

 and tail said to have less white. 9 

 with crown pronounced black, not easily 

 distinguished from the ^ . Florida, and 

 coastwise to S. Carolina. Scott, Auk, 

 . Apr. 1890, p. 118; A. 0. U. List, 2d 



A ed. 1895, No. 727 b (de minimis curat 



lex !). 



S. c. aculea'ta. (Lat. acukata, sharp- 

 ened ; referring to the slender bill.) 

 Slender-billed Nuthatch. Like 

 carolinensis; bill slenderer, 0.12-0.16 

 at base. Inner secondaries scarcely or 

 not variegated witli blackish, and gen- 

 eral tone of coloration duller. Wood- 

 land of Middle and Western provinces 

 nf the U. S., and S. into Mexico ; com- 

 mon, replacing carolinensis. The two 

 forms are se])a rated for the most part by 

 tlie treeless plains where neither occurs, 

 and are well marked. Specimens which 



Fu>. i:,.. -NMnU-bn-.Me.l -N.al.atcl,. ^ ^^^^^^ ^^^^^^ .^ ^^^^ ^^_^^^^ ^^.^^^ ^^^ g^ 



Dakota, were however somewhat equivocal. Nesting as in other species ; eggs 5-9, ordinaiily 

 7-8, March and later. 



S. canaden'sis. (Lat, of Canada; an Iroquois word. Fig. 138.) Red-bellied Nuthatch. 

 Canada Nuthatch. <J , adult : Upper parts leaden-blue (brighter than in carolinensis) ; central 



