WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH. 191 



seems to be resident, or nearly so. I found them abundant in Upper 

 Canada, and in the northern parts of the state of New York, in the 

 month of November ; they also inhabit the whole Atlantic states as far 

 as Georgia, and the southern extremity of Florida ; as well as the 

 interior parts of the United States, as far west as Chilicothe, in the 

 state of Ohio, and, according to Buffon, Louisiana. They are said to 

 be the only Woodpeckers found in Jamaica ; though I question whether 

 this be correct ; and to be extremely fond of the capsicum, or Indian 

 pepper.* They are certainly much hardier birds, and capable of sub- 

 sisting on coarser, and more various fare, and of sustaining a greater 

 degree of cold, than several others of our Woodpeckers. They are 

 active and vigorous ; and being almost continually in search of insects, 

 that injure our forest trees, do not seem to deserve the injurious epithets 

 that almost all writers have given them. It is true, they frequently 

 perforate the timber in pursuit of these vermin, but this is almost always 

 in dead and decaying parts of the tree, which are the nests and nurseries 

 of millions of destructive insects. Considering matters in this light I 

 do not think their services overpaid by all the ears of Indian corn they 

 consume ; and would protect them within my own premises as being 

 more useful than injurious. 



Genus XXV. SITTA. NUTHATCH. 



Species I. S. CAROLINENSIS. 



WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH. 



[Plate II. Fig. 3.] 



Sifta Carolinmsis,, Briss. in., p. 596. — Catesb. i., 22, fig. 2. — L.ixn. i., 650, B. — 

 Sitla Eurojjca, Gray hlack-cappcd Ntiihatrh, Bartr.\m, p. 289. 



The bill of this bird is black, the upper mandible straight, the lower 

 one rounded upwards, towards the point, and white near the base ; the 

 nostrils are covered with long curving black hairs ; the tongue is of a 

 horny substance, and ending in several sharp points ; the general color 

 above is of a light blue or lead ; the tail consists of twelve feathers, 

 the two middle ones lead color, the next three are black, tipped with 

 white for one-tenth, one-fourth, and half of an inch ; the two next are 

 also black, tipped half an inch or more with white, which runs nearly 

 an inch up their exterior edges, and both have the white at the tips 

 touched with black ; the legs are of a purple or dirty flesh color ; the 



* Sloane. 



