Harris—Birds of the Kansas City Region. 329 
toms, but has been seen at Lake City and other marshy places 
on the uplands. 
It breeds in the ecat-tail swamps of the river lakes in nearby 
counties, but the nest has not been taken in Jackson County. 
Family CrerTHIDAr. Creepers. 
CERTHIA FAMILIARIS AMERICANA Bonaparte. Brown Creeper. 
Common winter resident. 
Regularly on October 8th, 9th or 10th the first Brown Creep- 
ers may be expected from the north, remaining until from the 
10th to 20th of April. They are most numerous during the 
second and third weeks of October and in the first week of April. 
During migration they are distributed over the entire county 
wherever there are trees. In winter they seem to prefer the 
woods bordering the prarie regions, though they are common 
on the bluffs and in the bottom timber, especially in the large 
timber of the Indian Creek Valley. During the latter period 
of their stay they are sometimes heard in full song. 
Family Srrripar. Nuthatches. 
SITTA CAROLINENSIS CAROLINENSIS Latham. White-breasted Nut- 
hatch. 
Not uncommon resident. 
The White-breasted Nuthatch is present during the entire 
year in the wooded sections of the county. In winter it is a 
not infrequent visitor within the city, where it hunts for insect 
food on the trunks of the shade trees. During the breeding sea- 
son it retires to the deeper woods to nest in cavities in trees. 
Six to nine eggs are laid in late April. 
Its peculiar grunting notes are familiar sounds in the winter 
woods. 
Sirra CANADENSIS Linn. Red-breasted Nuthatch. 
Not uncommon migrant. 
This small nuthatch is present in varying numbers from the 
first few days of October (September 30, 1906, earliest) to about 
the middle of January (January 18, 1913, latest), and again 
from the middle of March (March 14, 1914, earliest) to the 
first week of May (May 5, 1917, latest). It is to be looked for 
in the same kind of wooded places as the preceding species and, 
