426 NOTES ON THE 
SITTA CANADENSIS (L.). (728.) 
RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH. 
This little cousin of the White-bellied Nuthatch, in no way a 
whit behind his bigger relative in interest, has its history ob- 
scured by the shadow of the other to such an extent, that his 
record begins and ends about where Audubon began and ended it 
While quite similar in its habits to the other species, its note 
is so much higher-keyed, and more rapidly repeated, that there 
is little danger of the careful observer being misled as to its 
identity. It feeds precisely like the other in every particular, 
beginring upon the trunk or a larger branch, it moves forwards 
or backwards with equal facility, and uniformly in a spiral di- 
rection. If on the trunk, the prevalent attitude is with the 
head downward, in which attitude it will frequently pause for 
a moment, and with the bill at right angles to its perch, listen 
to other notes and sounds, and then resume its search for in- 
sects and larve, constantly repeating its note resembling 
‘each, each, each each,” rapidly repeated until it opens its wings 
for a short flight to another tree already preoccupied possibly 
by the large species, the Hairy Woodpecker, and the Chick- 
adee. In this manner the party proceeds ‘‘regularly from tree 
to tree through the woods likea corpsof pioneers.” Mr. Grant 
reports them as fairly represented about Vermilion lake and 
vicinity during the summers he was there. 
Messrs. Lewis, Treganowan and Washburn, each report this 
species fairly represented in all the timbered sections visited 
by them in the northwestern portions, and the latter mentions 
them in the following words: ‘‘Young and old birds observed 
at St. Vincent, common, and apparently finding there its 
southern limit. Idid not find it south of that place. One indi- 
vidual, shot atSt. Vincent Aug. 26th, measured 4.25; 2.50; 1.50; 
and another, 4.25; 2.75; 1.50.” 
There isno doubt that the Red-breasted Nuthatch breeds 
extensively in the northern portion of Minnesota, but I have 
never discovered their nests in the others. Mr. Lewis, (who 
gave the habits of this species as much if not more attention 
than any other observer whose kindly aid I have received, ) 
says: ‘The nest is in an excavation ina stump, or a stub, 
from three to four feet from the ground, and occasionally 
somewhat higher, but never as elevated as that of the White- 
breasted. It consists of moss, bark, hair and down, rather 
