478 \ /.>/> i \l> BOOS <>l 



struction, and the sites chosen were of a uniform character. In every instance th 

 nest was placed in a balsam fir, though spruce, birch, or elm stubs were more 

 numerous. Within the loose scale of bark was crammed a mass of twigs and other 

 rubbish; upon this was the finer bark of various trees, with an intermixture of a 

 little uttnca moss and a number of spiders' cocoons. Mr. Brewster obtained eggs from 

 the 31st of May to June 23. The eggs are five to eight in number, white or creamy- 

 white, speckled or spotted with hazel or reddish-brown, chiefly at or around the larger 

 end, often in the form of wreaths. A set of six eggs in Mr. Norris' cabinet collected 

 by Mr. Brewster in Oxford county, Maine, June 5, 1879, exhibits the following sizes: 

 .58x.46,.58x.45, .57x.45, .57x.45,.58x.46, .57x.46. A set of six taken in Buncombe county, 

 North Carolina, May 2, 1888, measures .59x.45, .58x.46, .57x.44, .56x.45, .58x.45. Sev- 

 eral other sets in the same cabinet show great variation. The average size is 

 .59x.47. 



726a. MEXICAN CREEPER. Ccrthia familinriit mexirana (Glog.) Geog. 

 Dist. Northern Central America (Guatemala), Mexico, and Southern Arizona. 



No reliable information is at hand regarding the nidification of this Mexican 

 form of the Creeper which is, doubtless, similar to that of ('. f. americana. 



7261. ROCKY MOUNTAIN CHEEPER. Ccrthia fainiliaris mnntnnn Ridgw. 

 Geog. Dist. Rocky Mountain district, north to Alaska; west to Nevada, etc. Ridgw. 



The nesting and eggs of this form are like those of the Brown Creeper of the 

 Eastern States. Prof. Ridgway gives the average size of the eggs as .59x.46. 



726r. CALIFORNIA CREEPER, frrthiu fninilinrix nwilrntnlix : Ridgw. Geog. 

 Dist. Pacific coast region of North America from California to Southern Alaska. 



This race of the Creeper is confined to the Pacific coast region. Dr. Merrill met 

 with it in the vicinity of Fort Klamath, Oregon, and states that in no part of the 

 West did he find it so abundant as there. Several pairs bred in the immediate vi- 

 clcinity of the Fort, and during the winter several of their characteristic nests were 

 found hidden by loosened scales of bark, usually on pines, but once or twice on 

 aspens. The eggs, according to Mr. Ridgway, average .61x.48 inches. 



727. WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH. Kitta carolincnsis Lath. Geog. 

 Dist. Eastern United States and British Provinces. 



The White-breasted Nuthatch is often Improperly called "Sapsucker," a. name 

 commonly applied to the Downy Woodpecker and others. Nearly every person read- 

 ily recognizes this black-capped species as it runs up and down and around the 

 branches and trunks of trees in search of insect food, now and then uttering ita 

 curious iiiiniik. 'imink. '/"""/" It is a common breeding bird throughout its range 

 and usually begins nesting early in April. Two broods are not infrequently 

 reared in a season. This species usually selects for its nesting place the dr< 

 trunk of a tree or stub, ranging all the way from two to sixty feet above the ground. 

 The entrance may be a knot-hole, a small opening, or a round perforation is con- 

 structed and a cavity within in which the nest is made. Often the old excavation of 

 the Downy Wood peck IT is mncU> use of. The nest is composed of chicken feathers, 

 hair, and a few dry loaves loosely thrown together. The eggs nro five to eight in 

 number, rarely nine and tm; thrir usual shape is somewhat long ami pointed. They 

 are white with a roseate tinge, speckled or spotted with reddish-brown and a slight 

 tinge of purple. The markings as a rule are thickest near the larger ends. Tht 

 average size of ten specimens is .77x.56. 



