THE RED-BELLIED NUTHATCH. 6 1 



breeding in June, and, though less abundant than either the pygmj or 

 slender-billed varieties, it was still by no means rare. Its habits, while 

 diflering in no notable degree from those of its allies, are possessed of 

 even more of the energy and restless activity which belong to the 

 whole tribe ; and at this, the nesting season, the males especially were 

 busy from morning till night roving about among the pines and aspens, 

 engaged in hunting not only on their own account, but also for their 

 mates engaged in the cares of incubation. In these duties, however, 

 both sexes take part, and the females were occasionally found abroad 

 While their place on the nest was filled by the males. The single nest 

 examined was found in a pine stub, a few feet from the ground. The 

 hole was excavated in the rotten wood to the depth of five inches, no 

 especial care having been taken to render this smooth and symmetrical, 

 and was thoroughly lined at bottom with fine shreds of pine bark. Tlie 

 eggs, five in number, were far advanced toward hatching; color gray- 

 ish-white, thinly spotted with reddish dots confluent at the larger end. 



The grayish-white color of these eggs was no cloul)t ilue to 

 their age and condition. The four to six fresh eggs are only 

 (Ustinguishable from those of S. carolineiisis by their smaller 

 size, averaging about .6i by .49 of an inch ; the difference 

 is appreciable on comparison. The surface is generally pretty 

 evenly speckled. Tw'O broods are occasionally raised in New 

 England, the first, early in the spring, and the same hole is 

 often occupied repeatedly, while near the nests other holes are 

 usually to be found, not so deep, "probably used for one of the 

 birds to occtipy while the other is sitting," as is the case with 

 most woodpeckers. 



Although, ordinarily, a bird of the woods rather than of the 

 gardens, a pair were found feeding unfledged young in a hole in 

 a tree standing in one of the principal streets of Evanston, 111. 

 This was on the last of April, and the nest would not have been 

 discovered had the young not thrust their heads out of the ori- 

 fice and clamored too loudly for food. 



. Mr. R. F. Pearsall informs me of a curious fact in this connec- 

 tion. He found a nest of this nuthatch at Grand Menan on 

 June 10, 1878, containing fledglings. It was about ten feet 

 from the ground in a maple stub, and half an inch below the 

 entrance was a deposit of resinous gum, an eighth to a quarter of 

 an inch thick, extending downward for two inches ; this was sup- 



