AUGIT.ST 1801.] 



AND OOLOfilST. 



123 



a day with tliera next week, iiiid take tliem in. 

 Will tlien be in position to identify and give 

 full |);iitlonIars. H. Av.iten. 



A Series of Eggs of the White- 

 bellied Nuthatch. 



The eggs of the Whitc-bellied Nuthatch 

 (Sitta caroUnensls) exhibit con.siderablo varia- 

 tion both in shape and coloiation. .Some .sets 

 approach very near in apj)earance to eggs 'of 

 the Tufted Titmouse (Parus hicolor). 



Set I. May .'), ISSS. Weavervillo, N. C. 

 Nest in hollow limb, forty feet up. Composed 

 of hair, feathers, etc. Five eggs, incubation 

 advanccil. White, speckled with chestnut and 

 lihu'-grny. The markings are much heavier 

 at tlie larger ends. (This is characteristic of 

 the eggs of this bird, and in describing the 

 subsequent sets it will not be referred to.) 

 . 71 X. .");■); .7:3 X. 'jo; .70x..i.5; .71 x.. 5.5; .7;!x..54. 



Set II. March 2fi, 1SS7. Cooke Couuty, 

 Texas. Nest in an excavation made by the 

 bird in a dead stump. Com])osed of fur and 

 down. Eight eggs, fresh. This is a veiy 

 curious set. The ground color is light creamy 

 white; two of the eggs arc faintly speckled 

 with chestnut, a third a little more heavily 

 sijookled with the same color, a fourth a little 

 more heavily speckled, while the remaining 

 four arc quite heavily spotted with chestnut. 

 There are also a few sjjecks of lilac-gray on all 

 of them, but on this set as on all the others of 

 the series, this lilac-gray does not make itself 

 apparent unless closely looked for. One of 

 them is also distinctly i)yriform: ."Xx.'iT; 

 .70X.57; .71X.00; .74x.r>n; .0!)x.57; .71x..W; 

 .70x..")S; .71x.r)t^. 



Set III. March 20, 18S7. Cooke County, 

 Texas. Nest in a dead stump. Made of 

 feathers, fur and nu)ss. Six et.'gs, fresh. 

 Creamy while, speckled and spotted with 

 hazel: .74x.5]; .72x..51; .7lx.52; .70x.r,2; 

 .72x..'il; .fiSx.ijl. 



Set IV. May 9, 1SS8. Nazareth, Penn. 

 Nest in large Spanish oak about seventy-five 

 feet up. Made of lichens and bark of trees, 

 lined with horse and rabbit hair. Six eggs, 

 iuc\ibalion advanced. Creamy white, heavily 

 speckled and spotted with hazel. There are a 

 few specks of lilac-gray also: .7;jX.54; .T-'x.M; 

 .72x.r)(i; .72X.5.5; .72x.55; .73x..56. 



Set V. .lune 7, 1882. Saybrook, Conn. 

 Nest in a hole in trunk of a large elm, twelve 

 feet up. Seven eggs, fresh. (Second set.) 



Creamy white, sprinkled and speckled with 

 hazel: .74x.58; .75x.57; .74x.56; .74x..58; 

 .75x.r)(); .74X.56; .7">x.r)5. 



Set VI. May 5, 1889. Nazareth, Penn. 

 Nest in red oak about seventy-five feet high. 

 Made of lichens, rabbit hair and bark. Eight 

 eggs, fresh. White, speckled and spotted 

 with hazel and lil.ac-gray: .72x..i9; .7f>x.r)0; 

 .73x.r)7; .7('ix.o0; .74x.57; .74x.57; .71x.r)(i; 

 .G9x..'J4. 



Set VII. May 12, ISS9. Nazareth, Penn. 

 Nest in old a])ple tree, about four feet up. 

 Made of feathers, fungus growths, rabbit hair 

 and bark. Eight eggs, incubation advanced. 

 Two of them have a white ground color 

 speckled with vinaceous; but the remaining 

 six have a ])inkish-white ground color, 

 sprinkled with very minute specks of vin- 

 aceous. All have heavier maikings at the 

 laiger ends: .75x..51; .75x..59; .74x.59; 

 .74x..'J7; .75x.58; .74x.57; .73x.58; .74x..'>7. 



Set VUI. May 14, 1S85. Nazareth, Penn. 

 Nest in a hollow tree, in woods. Eight eggs, 

 fresh. (This set has an especial interest as it 

 was collected by the veteran ocilogist, the late 

 E. llicksecker.) White, heavily speckled and 

 spotted with hazel. There are also a few 

 specks of lilac-gray: .74x.56; .77x.5.5; 

 .80x..5r); .77X.55; .7(;x..'')6; .lSx.r>'i; .77x.rw; 

 .71X.54. 



Set IX. April H, 1887. Iredell County, N. 

 C. Nest of hair, feathers, etc., in an old 

 squirrel's den, in limb of large elm. Six eggs, 

 incubation begun. Pinkish white, thickly 

 speckled and spotted with hazel. There arc 

 also a few spots of lilac-gray: .70x..")5; 

 .74X.54; .71x.o4; .73x.5.t; .73x..54; .73x..54; 

 .73X..54. 



Set X. May 17, 1884. Nazareth, Penn. 

 Nest ten feet up, in a squiriel's hole. Eight 

 eggs, fresh. White, very heavily speckled 

 and spotted with hazel and purplish-gray. A 

 beautifully marked set: .S0x..57; .79x.57; 

 .79x.5(i; .77X..50; .80x..')6; .81x.57; .Six. 57; 

 .78x.o7. 



Set XI. May 14, 1887. Nazareth, Penn. 

 Nest in knot hole of chestnut, about seventy- 

 five feet up. Composed of lichens, rabbit 

 hair, cow hair and mouse fur; the latter being 

 the droppings fi-om a neighboring owl roost. 

 Eight eggs, incubation advanced. Creamy 

 white, heavily speckled and spotted with 

 liazel and a few spots of purplish-gray: 

 .76X.55; .77x.55; .74x.56; .75 x .50;,. 75 x .57; 

 .74 X .50; .75 x .56; .75 x .55. 



Set XII. Miy 18, 1889. Nazareth, Penn. 

 Nest in white oak, twenty-five feet up. Mnde 



