Birds of Mussachusetts. 177 
ways or head downwards, with great rapidity, stop- 
ping every now and then to cast an inquiring look 
at the observer. Its bill is strong and sharp, and 
when it would open an acorn or chestnut, it holds it 
in a crevice, and splits it with strokes of its bill. 
lts tongue is capable of extension like the wood- 
pecker's, so that it has great advantages for procur- 
ing a subsistence ; but, if it were less favored, it 
might contrive to live, since it is sometimes seen 
hopping among the poultry on the ground. 
These birds chisel out a perforation in a decay- 
ing tree, in which to deposit the eggs. These are 
five, dusky white, spotted with brown at the larger 
end. The young are fed and taught to fly with 
affectionate care. They are fond of roosting in their 
own nest, and are believed to return to it year after 
year. They are easily known by their cry, quank, 
two or three times repeated, as they run over a tree. 
The Rrp-srLLIED Nutuatcn, Sitta Canadensis, 
is more common among us than the other. It is 
not found farther south than Maryland, and becomes 
more common as we proceed toward Maine, where 
many of them are hardy enough to encounter the 
severest winters. It is a very active and industrious 
bird, always running over the branches of trees, 
searching with sharp eyes, sometimes rapping with 
its bill, and occasionally striking off a bit of moss or 
bark, to dislodge the grub below ; the only time it 
has for resting is at night, when, like others of the 
tribe, it holds by its feet to the bark and sleeps, 
VOL. RNO I.—II. 
