64 



FHE OOLOGlsr. 



The Brown headed and White-breast- 

 ed Nut hatches -Their Nesting- 

 Habits and Other Notes 



The Brown-headed Nuthatch is a com- 

 mon resident in eastern North Carolina, 

 where it builds its nest in stumps that 

 may be siluatfd, either in a field or in 

 the woods. 



They begin to dig a cavity for the 

 nest sometimes as early as the 20th day 

 of March, but generally it is about the 

 first of April before the work begins. 

 The nesting cavity is always dug 'in a 

 dead tree or stump, ranging from six 

 inches to thirty feet in height. Never 

 have I found a nest of this bird in a nat- 

 ural cavity. 



A favorite nesting place of this bird 

 is in a tract of forest that was burned 

 over by a forest fire several years ago. 

 This piece of wood is situated near my 

 home, near Merry hill, in Bertie county. 

 Oq many a spring morning have I wan- 

 dered thither in search of nests. Hard- 

 ly had I entered the forest before the 

 greetings of the little Brown-head,ed 

 Nuthatch reached ray ears and setting 

 out in se.irch of their nests I hear them 

 until I leave the wood. 



The nest is madw of fine bark, fine 

 reed leaves and wot)l, placed in a cavity 

 from four to ten inches deep and con- 

 tains from four to six eggs. 



Two or more broods may be reared 

 in a season, for often have I seen young 

 birds in June, yet I cannot be positive 

 as to the number of nests that are built, 

 for I have known a pair of birds to 

 build as many as four nests in a sea>^on 

 The first three having been dt^.-trojed, 

 they resorted to the top of a dead pine 

 to build the fourth and thi-rn reared a 

 brood of young. The nest above men- 

 tioned was placed at a greater distance 

 from the ground than any that have 

 come under my observation. It was 

 about sixty feet high In no other case 

 have I found a nest placed over 30 feet 

 high. 



After the nesting season is over they 

 may be seen twt> or thrt-e together in 

 the top of pines prying at the pine- 

 cont^s after the pine seeds ihat seem to 

 form a large part of their food. 



The White-breasted Nuthatch is not 

 hardly as common as the above species, 

 but is generallv distributed throughout 

 eastern North Carolina, so far as my 

 observation extends 



Unlike the Brown headed, its nest is 

 always placed in a hollow tree, as in a 

 Woodpecker excavity. 



I will give a description of the nests 

 from which eggs were taken iu 1897, '98. 



No 1. April 10. 1897. Nest placed in 

 a hollow sawerwood six feet high, made 

 of bark, wool and hair, containing five 

 slightly incubated eggs. 



No 2. April 29, 1897. Nest placed in 

 a cavity, dug by a Woodpecker, at the 

 height of 20 feet, nest made of fine bark 

 and hair and contained six eggs with 

 incubation advanced. 



No. 3. March 28. 1898. Nest placed 

 in a knot hole in a gum tree about 60 

 feet high. Nest made of bark, leaves 

 and pieces of string, containing six 

 fresh eggs. 



No. 4. Nest containing five incubated 

 eggs taken on April 2. 1898. Nest made 

 of tine bark, wool, feathers and hair, 

 placed in a hollow oak about 30 feet 

 high. 



No. 5. Set of seven eggs with incu- 

 bation begun, taken from a nest of fine 

 bark, wool and hair, placed in an old 

 Woodpecker cavity, about 15 feet high. 

 Taken on April 2, '98. 



No. (j April 4, 1898 Five fresh eggs 

 taken from a nest made, of fine bark 

 and hair, placed in the ho'low of a gum 

 tree, about 50 f' et high 



No. 7. April 7, 1898, took a set of 

 tiv(^ eggs, incubation begun, from a nest 

 of moss, fine bark and .^craps of cloth, 

 placed in a hollow limb 26 feet high. 



No. 8. Ne«!t: made of moss, contain- 

 ing six fresh eggs, takea on April 11th, 

 from a hollow beech 20 f-jet high, nest 



