A List of the Birds of the Hudson Highlands, with 

 Annotations. 



BY EDGAR A. MEARNS. 



[Continued from Vol. X, page 179.] 



Family, SITTIDJE. 



12. Sitta carolinensis, Gmelin. WHITE-BELLIED NUTHATCH. 

 Perhaps a resident species, though not found breeding just in this 

 neighborhood. Farther up the Hudson, at Catskill, they breed abun- 

 dantly. Their occurrence is somewhat irregular, like that of the 

 Brown Creeper and the Cedar Bird: but they are usually common 

 except during the breeding season, when they, seemingly, all with- 

 draw for a short time. It is a remarkable fact, that not a single 

 White-bellied Nuthatch was seen here, by any one, to my knowledge, 

 between August,. 1872, and the following July. Mr. Erwin I. Shores 

 mentions a similar incident in the case of the Common Bluebird. 1 

 He states that he "could not find it in 1872, " 2 about Suffleld, Conn. 

 Mr. W. C. Osborn discovered a nest of this Nuthatch, near Catskill, 

 N. Y., the entrance to which was through an aperture in a weather- 

 board, in the house of Mr. Frederic E. Church, the celebrated artist. 



The Nuthatch is an eminently useful and industrious bird. He de- 

 votes his entire existence to the : occupation of scrambling about upon 

 the tree-trunks, grubbing out insects from their hiding places under 

 the bark. At this commendable, but somewhat prosaic, employment 

 he spends his days ; and when night comes, he betakes himself to a 

 hole in some tree, where, weary with his day's toil, he sleeps the sleep 

 of the just till day-break ; nor is our pretty friend addicted to the dis- 

 agreeable practice of early rising. He depends not upon craftiness 

 for his daily sustenance, but gets it by the sweat of his brow; there- 

 fore he indulges in a morning nap after the sun is up, and the noctur- 

 nal worm is permitted to crawl safely into its den. Doubtless this 

 interesting bird should command our highest respect, and our deepest 

 gratitude ; for his life is one of tireless industry and great usefulness. 

 Nor, indeed, should we question the personal motives which impel 

 him to the accomplishment of such important and valuable results. 



1 C. Hart Merriam, A Review of the Birds of Conn., p. 8, 1877. 

 4 Mr. Shores informs me that the date here given is incorrect; should read 1873 



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