\\IIITE-BELLIED XUTHATCH. 35 



with Warblers ami Woodpeckers, but by the latter part of February they pair aim begin to 

 build. They usually select a partly decayed stub ami excavate a hole in it with their bills, after 

 the m:uinur of the Woodpeckers, to a depth of some six or eight inches, placing the nest at the 

 bottom, but are not particular regarding its height above the ground, for I have seen them in 

 .stumps not over ten feet high and in dead trees fifty feet in air. 



While breeding they have a singular note which dill'ers entirely from that which is ordinarily 

 given, being a continuous low chatter. These birds are usually unsuspicious at this time and I 

 have stood within a few yards of them while they were at work. Both sexes labor industriously, 

 and, like the Black-capped Titmouse, carry the chips which are made to some distance before 

 dropping them. Although they pay very little attention to the presence of man, when 

 undisturbed by him, they arc very assiduous in defending their nests from any real or fancied 

 eneinv and, if a Woodpecker chances to alight near their domicile, will attack him with fury, 

 invariably forcing him to leave the locality. They are occupied some time in completing the 

 nest but by the middle of .March the eggs are deposited, and by the first or second week in 

 April the young appear. They are fully fledged by the 15th of May and then follow their 

 parents about. The Brown-headed Nuthatches avoid the deciduous woods, but I have found 

 them in isolated patches of pines, to reach which they must have crossed swamps and hummocks. 

 They doubtless move silently and quickly over such places for I have never seen nor heard 

 them there. 



SITTA CAROLINENSIS. 



White Bellied Nuthatch. 



Ha. europxa var. y, Carolinensis GMELIX, I, 178S, 440," BAIRD, Birds of North America, 1858, 374. 

 tn aculeata CASSIN, Pr. A. N. Sc. Phila. VIII. Oct., 1856, 245. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Sr. On. Form, robust. Size, quite large. Bill, long and somewhat slender. Tail, not much rounded. 

 Sternum, stoutly built. Keel, longer than the coracoid bones; but it is not higher than half the width of the 

 sternum. Tongue, thin and horny, with the sides straight, the end broken into Irregular points. 



COLOR. I ' "if. male. Above, slaty-blue. Top of head and neck to the shoulders, glogsy black. Upper surface of 

 win^ and coverts, black; with the edges, tips, outer webs of upper tertlaries, and lines along the vanes of the last 

 like the back; there is also a spot at the base of the primaries, and on the inner webs of the spurious quills, and 

 elongated sp >ts on the middle of the outer webs of the second, third and fourth quills, white. The two central tail 

 feathers are like the back; remainder, black, with the six outer crossed diagonally by a broad subterminal bar of 

 wliite, which extends up fora short distance on the outer web of the first two feathers, and reaches the tip of the 

 third on the inner web. The black of the tips is preceded on the outer webs by a small patch of slaty. The 

 remaining feathers are tipped with white, preceded by slaty. Lower parts, including sides of head, and space for 

 some distance above the eye, white; tinged with buff, with the flanks washed with chestnut. Tibiae, crlssura and 

 ventral region, rich chestnut-brown; the under tail coverts are also streaked with it. Wing and tail beneath, like 

 the upper surface, but more glaucous. Axillarics, like the back. Under wing coverts, black. 

 "lie, similar to the male, but with the top of the head washed with slaty-blue. 



Yoitii'j have the white of the tail feathers more restricted and a deeper suffusion of buff beneath. Webs brown ; 

 feet brown; bill black, blue at the base of the under mandible, in both sexes and in all stages. 



OBSERVATIONS. 



The longer and more slender bills of aculeata which grade into the shorter and stouter ones of the typical 

 Carolinensis cannot be considered as a sufficient character upon which to base a species, there being no other 

 specific difference. Specimens from Florida are exactly like those from New England. It is distributed throughout 

 nearly all of North America but is not found in the southern portions of Florida, and is not common in the more 

 northern sections. It may be readily distinguished from all other native Nuthatches by its larger size. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Average measurements of six specimens from New England and Florida. Length, 5-76; stretch, 10-32; wing 

 3-60; tail, 1-82; bill, -71; tarsus, -GO. Largest specimen, C'OO; greatest extent of wings, 11-50; longest wing, 3-G9; 

 tail, 2-1.1: bill, -80; tarsus, -80. Shortest specimen, 5-00; smallest stretch of wings. 9-21; shortest wing, L'-CJ; tail, 



, liill, u: : tarsus, -GO. Length of the bills of three specimens of aculeata, -80, -82 and -85. 



