AMERICAN OBNITHOLOGY. 49 



well developed, in the rear. In this respect they differ again from the 

 Woodpeckers, which have either two fore and two hind toes, or two in 

 front and only one behind. This will appear all the more remarkable 

 when it is remembered that the Picidcp do not descend head downward, 

 at all, while the Sittino' are the head-downward goers par excellence, 

 and yet have only one rear toe to support them in their inverted posi- 

 tion. You would naturally suppose that if any bird had need of two 

 hind toes, it would be the Nuthatch; but the result proves that, after 

 all, nature had her wits about her when she evolved this avian family. 



The world over, there are twenty distinct species of Nuthatches 

 known to scientific observers, only four of them being natives of Amer- 

 ica. Of course, there are a number of sub-species or varieties. All of 

 them are incessant climbers and foragers, peering into crannies, pound- 

 ing here and there to make the grubs stir in their hiding-places, jab- 

 bing and prying with their beaks, and chiseling out all kinds of larvae, 

 grubs and borers that would, if permitted to live and multiply, soon 

 devastate the timber and fruit trees and make this world a desert in- 

 deed. True, the other feathered clamberers and carpenters are fully 

 as useful, but depend upon it, the Nuthatches do their share in preserv- 

 ing our forests and orchards. 



The White-breasted Nuthatch is our most commuon species east of 

 the great plains, breeding from the Gulf States to the northern border 

 of the United States and to New Brunswick. One peculiarity about 

 him is that he breeds throughout his range, and therefore may be found 

 as both a summer and winter resident in all suitable localities within 

 the boundaries mentioned above. In the winter, no matter how old 

 Boreas may bluster, our bird is one of the most cheerful denizens of 

 the woods in our centralTatitudes, calling his nasal yank, yank, yank, 

 and sometimes indulging in a loud, half-merry outburst that goes echo- 

 ing through the woodlands. No sound of the sylvan solitudes has a 

 more woodsy flavor or is more suggestive of vernal cheer and good 

 will. Sometimes he chatters to his human visitors in the most cordial 

 tones as he glides up and down his arboreal promenade, or holds him- 

 self almost straight out. 



A hole in a stump or tree makes Madame Nuthatch a cosy nursery, 

 which she lines with feathers and leaves, making it soft and snug for 

 her downy brood. Here they are safe from most of the prowlers that 

 find the more exposed nests of many other birds. She deposits five to 

 eight eggs of a white or creamy-white ground-color, speckled with 

 rufous and lavender. During the season of incubation and brood-rear- 

 ing the Nuthatches retire to the depth of the woods, and are quiet, 

 secretive and unsocial, seldom betraying their procreant secrets. 



