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SITTA CANADENSIS— LINN. 

 RED-BELLIED NUTHATCH. 



Red-bellied Nuthatch, Sitta Canadensis, Wils. Amer. Orn. 



Sitia Canadensis, Bonap. Syn. 



Red-bellied Nuthatch, Nutt. Man. 



Red-bellied Nuthatch, Sitta Canadensis, Aud. Orn. Biog. 



Specific Character — Upper part of the head black, bordered with 

 white; a band from the nostril passing beyond the head, black; 

 lower parts yellowish red. Adult with the upper part of the head, 

 and a band from the nostril passing beyond the head, black, be- 

 tween which is a white band, which passes over the eye, continuing 

 about the same distance as the black band behind the eye ; throat 

 and sides of the neck white ; back grayish-blue ; wings dark brown, 

 edged with blue; middle tail feathers of the same color, the rest of 

 the tail feathers are black, the outer two with a white band near 

 their ends, the next two tipped with grayish-blue ; lower parts deep 

 yellowish-red. The female not so deeply marked on the head. — 

 Length four inches and a half, wing two and five-eighths. 



This species, not so abundant as the preceding, is with us a winter 

 visitant from the North, where it breeds. It arrives in the month of 

 October and remains with us until April. The pine trees are its 

 favorite resort, the seeds of which it is particularly fond of. It is fre- 

 quently seen in company with the former species, from which it can 

 readily be distinguished by its inferior size as well as by its notes, 

 which are much sharper and delivered in a more hurried manner. 



