382 RELATIONS OF BIRDS TO AGRICULTURE 



states over winter, at which time it frequently associates with 

 chickadees, downy woodpeckers, kinglets, and brown creepers. 



Its rather coarse note, frequently repeated, has been likened 

 to the word "yank" repeated with a nasal sound. 



A close cousin of this bird, the red-breasted nut-hatch, has a 

 somewhat more northerly range. 



Brown Creeper (Plate 3, Fig. 10). This inconspicuous, active 

 bird is found in the North throughout the entire year. It is to 

 be ranked among our most useful assistants in keeping down 

 injurious insects, for it eats many insects in the hibernating stage 

 in winter, besides consuming large numbers of insect eggs, which 

 would otherwise hatch in the spring. It appears to be always in 



FIG. 381. House wren. (U. S. Biol. Survey.) 



motion in the daytime, "creeping" over trunks and branches on 

 the lookout for food. 



The general color is brown, more or less streaked with lighter 

 colors. It is white below. The length is about five and one-half 

 inches. The ends of tail feathers are stiff and are pressed against 

 the bark of the tree after the manner of woodpeckers. The bill 

 is slightly curved. 



Myrtle Warbler or Yellow-Rumped Warbler (Plate 2, Fig. 2). 

 This common warbler breeds in the northern part of the United 

 States and in Canada. It is found in small flocks among bushes 

 and other low growth. 



Its food consists almost entirely of injurious insects. A small 

 part only is represented by fruit and seeds. It is particularly 



