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Bird - Lore 



cedars (Juniperus virginiana) growing nearby. Examination of the box after 

 the nesting-season showed that the nest was composed exclusively of this 

 material, the box being filled to within an inch or two of the level of the en- 

 trance-hole. The male usually left his load at the hole, without entering, and 

 I suppose that the material was put in place by the female inside. 



On April 23, on my return home after a few days' absence, I saw the male 

 fly to the box and feed the female who stuck her head out of the hole. I 

 supposed that the incubating period had commenced, but on April 27 I saw 

 more nesting material being carried, this time by the female. One of the photo- 

 graphs was taken with the idea of showing the male in the act of feeding the 



RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH WITH FOOD FOR YOUNG 

 Photographed by E. H. Forbush 



female, but unfortunately her head shows only indistinctly in the hole, while 

 the male moved his head slightly so that the bill is somewhat blurred. I 

 noticed this feeding process quite often during the nesting-period, and observed 

 that frequently the female would fly out of the box as soon as she had received 

 the food her mate had brought. 



I had heard that the Red-breasted Nuthatch had the habit of surrounding 

 its nesting-hole with pitch, so I was on the watch for it, and one morning, when 

 the light was right, I saw that there was a thin layer of pitch close to the hole. 

 At first this layer was so thin and transparent that it was noticeable only when 

 the sun was shining on it at the right angle, but as the nesting-season advanced 

 more and more pitch was added, so that before long it could be seen easily, 



