126 Batchelder. Winter .Vo/es from New Mexico. | April 



lost to sight in the top of the tree. Like all Jays they are of by 

 no means confiding nature, and though not extremely shy, are 

 very wary. When they see you coming they will peer at you 

 suspiciously through the branches, and then very likely conceal 

 themselves, or prudently take flight. 



Walking on across the hills, I did not often go far without 

 coming upon a troop of Nuthatches roving about among the 

 pines. There would be from half a dozen to a dozen or more 

 Pygmy Nuthatches (Sitta pyg?ncea) in the party, and usually one 

 or two of their Slender-billed cousins (Sitta carolinensis acu- 

 leata) , frequently several Mountain Chickadees (Pants mon- 

 tanus), and occasionally a Creeper or two (Certkia familiaris). 

 Two or three times I found a Gairdner's Woodpecker (Picus 

 pubescens gairdneri) that had joined the company. The 

 Pygmy Nuthatches, though the smallest, not only excelled in 

 numbers, but were by far the most self-asserting and noisy. 

 They were very active, moving about rapidly among the 

 branches of the pines in their search for food. Their motions 

 had much more of the Chickadee character and less of the 

 Creeper than I have seen in the other American Nuthatches. 

 They frequented chiefly the smaller brandies, flying from branch 

 to branch, perching like any other bird, swinging and bending 

 about to reach their food like a Chickadee, and not often running 

 along the trunks and branches (I la Certkia. Occasionally one 

 would stop and hammer on a branch like a Woodpecker, making 

 a noise that seemed out of proportion to so small a bird. Indeed 

 it could be heard at quite a little distance, and might almost be 

 mistaken for the tapping of one of the smaller Woodpeckers. 



They uttered their notes almost unceasingly, and the where- 

 abouts of a flock could be easily discovered some distance off. 

 None of their notes have the harsh kauk-\'\\s.e character of the 

 other Nuthatches. The one most constantly to be heard was a 

 chip that had a very Sparrow-like sound This was usually 

 uttered several times in quick succession. Once one indulged in 

 an attempt at song. The individual notes were much like the 

 ordinary chip, but the general effect was a not unpleasing war- 

 ble. He uttered mere snatches of his song, however, as if he 

 were aware that it was out of season, and as if some passing 

 thought of spring time had merely recalled it to his mind. 



Thev are excitable little birds, and showed much concern 

 when I had shot one of their company, scolding me vigorously 



