PARID^ — THE TITMICE. 121 



Mr. J. K. Lord found this Nuthatch an abundant bird along the entire 

 length of the boundary line from the coast to the liocky Mountains. It was 

 also common on Vancouver Island. They were seen in large flocks in com- 

 pany with the Chickadees, except during the nesting-time, which is in June. 

 A few were winter residents at Colville, but the greater number left in 

 November. He describes it as a very active bird, always on the move. 

 After nesting they congregate in large flocks and move about from tree to 

 tree, twittering a low sweet note as if singing to themselves, now climbing 

 back downwards along the under sides of the topmost branches of tall pines, 

 searching into every crevice for insects, or, descending to the ground, cling- 

 ing to the slender flower-stalks for other insects. They nest in June, make 

 a hole in the dead branch of a pine, and deposit their eggs on the bare chips 

 of the wood. This account does not agree with the experience of California 

 ornitliologists, who have found a loose nest within the excavation. 



]\Jr. Eidgway found this Nuthatch abundant among the pines of the Sierra 

 Nevada, in the vicinity of Carson City. They were I'ound generally in pairs. 

 Its note is said to greatly resemble the vociferous peeping of some of the 

 small Sandpipers, being sjiarp, loud, and distinct, and vigorously and continu- 

 ously uttered, whether climbing or flying. He found it exceedingly hard to 

 discover this bird among the branches, or even when flying, owing to the 

 swiftness and irregularity of its flight. When the female of a pair had been 

 killed, the male bird was extremely loud in his lamentations. Diminutive 

 as this bird is, Mr. Eidgway states that it is also the noisiest of all the feath- 

 ered inhabitants of the pines, though it is less active in the pursuit of insects 

 than the larger species. 



Nests of this bird obtained near Monterey appear to lie as well made as 

 those of any of this genus, lining the cavity in which they are placed and 

 conforming to it in size and shape, the materials sufticiently interwoven to 

 permit removal and preservation, and warmly constructed of feathers, wool, 

 vegetable down, hair, and the silky efflorescence of seeds. 



Their eggs, seven in number, resemble those of the *S'. canadensis, but are 

 of smaller size and a little more pointed at one end. Their ground-color 

 is crystalline-white. This is covered more or less thickly witli red spots, most 

 numerous at the larger end. Their measure varies from .65 by .50 to .60 by 

 .47 of an inch. The first eggs of this bird brought to the notice of natural- 

 ists were procured at Fort Crook on the Upper Sacramento of California, and 

 not far from Mount Shasta, by Sergeant John Feilner, U. S. A., forming part 

 of a very extensive collection of birds and eggs transmitted by him to the 

 Smithsonian Institution. Promoted to a lieutenancy for gallant conduct, 

 this gentleman finally attained the rank of captain of cavalry, and was killed 

 by the Sioux during an exjjloring expedition into Uacotah under General 

 Sully. 



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