CHAPTER FIVE 



TITMICE AND NUTHATCHES 





Finley Sr Bohlman 



FIG. 170. The chickadee has a larger family than most birds. Like the 

 nuthatches, it nests in holes. 



THE titmice and nuthatches of this country are small, 

 plain-colored birds. They subsist principally on insects, 

 which they find by searching over the foliage and bark 

 of trees. They do not go in large flocks, but after the 

 nesting season small companies of titmice, associated 

 with nuthatches and oftentimes with one or two other 

 kinds of birds, are likely to be encountered in the woods. 

 Titmice and nuthatches belong to . two different but 

 closely related families. The titmice have short bills; 

 the nuthatches, long bills. 



The chickadee. The black-capped chickadee, or tit- 

 mouse, is a favorite with many bird lovers. It is amusing 

 as an acrobat, wonderfully confiding, and seems to be 

 cheerful at all seasons. In many woods and city parks 

 it is quite common both in summer and winter, although 

 in some large districts it is seldom seen. It is smaller 

 than an English sparrow; its back is of a bluish gray or 



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