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1905| THE RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH. 139 
THE RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH 
( Sitta canadenszs ). 
By Wm. H. Moore, Scotch Lake, N. B. 
Were our birds classified as are plants, according to their 
abilities to withstand the inclemency of our northern climate, the 
subject of the following sketch would rank as a hardy perennial 
among the avi-fauna of eastern Canada. 
Although not a bird having a well-developed song as do 
some of our other winter birds, its voice is nevertheless well culti- 
vated along certain lines. The ordinary notes sound like yank 
or kngak, and, when heard at some distance, are suggestive of 
loneliness. Then there are sweet twitterings uttered incessantly 
when the individuals of a family are foraging among tree tops. 
A noticeable flow of talk is poured forth as the mated birds are 
investigating and deciding upon a nesting site. 
The search for the location of the nest apparently begins in 
the month of March. The yanking abilities are then taxed toa 
great extent, the birds being known to utter that call uninter- 
mittently for over a half minute. After the site is exactly decided 
upon, and work begun, the calling of the birds ceases to a great 
extent. 
The nesting site is chosen in some decayed tree trunk, pre- 
ferably that of a conifer, the second choice being the white or soft 
maple. The birds undoubtedly understand the method of decay in 
trees, as the above species of trees seem to decay most near the 
heart, and are more easily chipped out than trunks that are decayed 
upen the outside and sounder toward the centre. Thus, when the 
bark is pierced, the hardest of the mining is accomplished. Yet their 
work is often in vain, as they sometimes come upon knots in the 
wood ; these they are unable to chip out, and they are obliged to 
choose a new site. In such instances, they evidently occupy a 
nest of a previous year, either one of their own species or that of 
a small woodpecker, as the female would be ready to lay the eggs 
before a new nest could be excavated. The length of time oc- 
cupied in nest making is from two weeks to two months. 
