60 Bird Comrades 



States to the northern border of the United States and 

 to New Brunswick. One peculiarity about him is that 

 he breeds throughout his range, and therefore may be 

 found as both a summer and winter resident in all suit- 

 able localities within these boundaries. In the winter, 

 no matter how old Boreas may bluster, he is one of the 

 most cheerful denizens of the woods in our central lati- 

 tudes, calling his nasal "yank, yank, yank," and some- 

 times indulging in a loud, half -merry outburst that goes 

 echoing through the woodlands. No sound of the sylvan 

 solitudes has a more woodsy flavor or is more suggestive 

 of vernal cheer and good will. Sometimes he chatters 

 to his human visitors in the most cordial tones as he glides 

 up and down his arboreal promenade, or holds himself 

 almost straight out. 



A hole in a stump or tree makes Madame Nuthatch a 

 cosy nursery, which she lines with feathers and leaves, 

 making it soft and snug for her downy brood. Here they 

 are safe from most of the prowlers that find the more 

 exposed nests of many other birds. She deposits five to 

 eight eggs of a white or creamy-white ground-color, 

 speckled with rufous and lavender. During the season 

 of incubation and brood rearing the nuthatches retire to 

 the depth of the woods, and are quiet, secretive, and 

 unsocial, seldom betraying their procreant secrets. 



These birds have another habit that is worth mention- 

 ing. Having found a larger supply of food than they 

 require for their immediate use, they carry morsels away 

 and jam them into all sorts of holes and crannies in the 



