Brewster on Southern Birds. 97 



I had never known tlie wonderful beauty of this Goat-sucker's 

 eye until I held the bird in my hand, and the size of its mouth 

 would hardly be suspected from the examination of a dried skin. 



On April 17 the Acadian Flycatchers arrived. I was first 

 made aware of their presence by their emphatic queef eep which 

 so closely resembled that of Traill's Flycatcher that I immedi- 

 ately suspected the identity of the singers, although it was some 

 time before I could get a sight at one. They had another note 

 also which was much like the whistling of wings. I afterwards 

 satisfied myself that this sound was a vocal one. 



I never left the '"Bay-gall" without reluctance in the days when I 

 was perhaps the only invader of its secret recesses ; and now, in 

 recalling it, the feeling is scarcely less strong. But the country 

 about St. Mary's held other attractions which must not be neg- 

 lected. The open space surrounding the town was bordered on 

 the north by a pine forest that stretched an indefinite number of 

 miles into the interior, and my walks often tended in this direc- 

 tion. Following some grass-grown road that wandered aimlessly 

 among the trees, I often paused to watch the gambols of the 

 Brown-headed Nuthatches which fairly swarmed in these woods. 

 They are exceedingly social little birds, and it was no uncommon 

 thing, even in the middle of their breeding season, to see five or 

 six rollicking together. In their motions they closelv resemble 

 Sitta canadensis, and they have the same habit of exploring the 

 ends of the pine branches and hanging head downward, like 

 Titmice, among the tufts of pine needles. But they are decidedly 

 more active, and their notes are shriller, more varied and alto- 

 gether unlike those of either the Red or White-bellied species. 

 VVkick-xvhick-xv/iee'c'e' ivhick-wkicker-w/iicker is the usual ut- 

 terance, but when several come together their shrill excited piping 

 altogether baftles description. These little companies were bv 

 no means wholly composed of Nuthatches, but usually included 

 a more or less numerous escort of Pine Warblers, Bluebirds, 

 Titmice and Woodpeckers. As the motley troop rambled 

 through tile woods, its members were continually chasing one 

 another from tree to tree, chirping, calling and singing as their 

 various moods dictated. I noticed that the Bluebirds usually led 

 the van, while the Woodpeckers invariably brought up the rear. 



Unlike the Red-bellied, Downy, Hairy and Golden-winged 

 species, whicli inhabited all sorts of timber, the Red-cockaded 



