THE SLENDER-BILLED NUTHATCH. 287 



labbed by ihe bluc-cualcil ihug. (Jne such tragedy, with its huniaii interest, 

 is reported for us in- .Miss Adelaide L. Pollocl<. tlie welJdNnowu birddoxer 

 of Seattle, as follows: 



"We found the long purse-shaped nest swinging from the lower branches 

 of a giant red tir July 8th, and every da\- thereafter for two weeks some 

 member of our class in ornithology visited the castle in the air. It was woven 

 with a silken foiuidation gleaned in the cobwebs of the forest, lined with the 

 pappus of the w illnw and the thistle, and chinked with moss, lichen, and faded 

 hazel blossoms. Willi an eye to man-fashion, the architects had papered the 

 home, but onl_\' in spots on the outside. What a delight it was to watch the 

 parent birds light on the doorste]5 with a worm and plunge inside. By the 

 wriggling and swaying of the nest we knew there was something doing there, 

 but we had to guess at the gaping nioutlis, Jul}' 17th was a dreadful day for 

 the nestlings. W'e heard the pitifid notes of birds in distress as we approached 

 and found the nest was gone. Searching the ground it appeared wdth a great 

 gai)ing hole in one side, which told of the work of jay. crow, or chipmunk. 

 On investigation a tiny dead biuich of feathers was drawn out: and then 

 something moxed. The nest was tied to a hazel branch and quick as a thought 

 the parents went in at the front and out at the new back dour. (laining 

 courage they tried again, this time with food, and within the hour had ai)])ar- 

 ently forgotten their tragedy and settled down with the one wee chick. W'hile 

 the parents were foraging we opened the slit and the wa\- thai bain- ])ird 

 turned tail-up and buried its head in the lining of the nest rcniinded us of 

 the ostrich. 



"July 20th we saw- the youngster scr;imble u|5 the sides of his home to 

 the doorway, where he ])erciied blinking his round lirown eves at us. He 

 seen-ied to enjoy having his throat and back scratched and did not resent our 

 ])resence, l)ut his parents did, for the nest was deserted at sundown of Jnlv 

 22(\ after a long visit fn^ii the class in the afternoon. Vet the tin\- nedgling 

 could scarcely leap from twig to twig of the tangled undergrowth into which 

 he disappeared. Two days later we fancied we recognized the same famih- 

 by a i^eculiar w-liile iris of one ]jarent liird. as the\- flitted from branch to 

 branch of an alder fort\- feet abr)\e the ground." 



No. III. 



SLENDER-BILLED NUTHATCH. 



.\. O. V. Xn. 727 a. Sitta carolinensis aciileata (Cassin). 

 Description. — Adult male: Top of head, nape and upper bnniidarv of bad's 

 liining black, with a slight greeiiisii reflection : remaining iip|)er|)arts ashy blue 



