SITTIDiE SITTA CANADENSIS, SITTA PYGMjEA. 25 



' - ^ SITTA CANADENSIS, Linn, .r ->■ 



Re(l-l)elllea Nuthatch. 



Sitta canadensis, LiNn., Syst. Nat. i, 1766, 177.— Gm., Syst.. Nat. i, 1788, 441.— Lath., 

 luid. Orn. i, 1790, 262.— Bp., Syn. 1828, 96 ; List, 1838, 10 ; Consp. i, 18.50. 227.— 

 Nurr., Man. i, 1832, 583.— AuD., Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 24, pi. 105; Syn. 1839, 167; 

 B. Am. iv. 179, pi. 248.— Bd., B. N. A. 1858, 376; Rev. 1864, 86.- Codes & 

 Pkent., Smiths. Eop. 1861, 411.— Hayd., Rep. 1862, 164.- Coop. & Suck., N. 

 H. Wash. Ter. 1860, 193.— Coop., Am. Nat. iii, 1869, 74 ; B. Cal. i, 1870, 54.— 

 CouES, Pr. Phila. Acad. 1866, 79.— ScL., Cat. 1861, 15 ; Ibis, Apr. 1865.— Pdtn., 

 Pr. Ess. Inst, i, 1856, 214.— Verr., ibid, iii, 1862, 150.— Allen, ibid, iv, 1864, 69.— 

 IMcIlwh., ibid, v, 1866, 88.— CouES, ibid, v, 1868, 279.— Trippe, ibid, vi, 1871, 

 117.— Lawk., Ann. Lye. N. Y. viii, 1866, 283.— Turxb., B. E. Pa. 1869, 21.— 

 Stet., U. S. Geol. Surv. Ter. 1870, 464.— CouES, Key, 1872, 83, fig. 27.— Snow, 

 B. Kans. 1873, 6. ' 



Sitta varia, WiLS., Am. Orn. i, 1808, 40, pi. 2, f. 4. 



"Sitta stulta, Vieill." (Bp.) 



Hub. — North America at large, in wooded regions, but rather northerly (to 66° or 

 further). South, however, to the Mexican border. <<'i/ "y! 



Not obtained by Captain Eaynolds' Expedition. A A ~ j 



Lieutenant Warren's Expedition.— 52S0, Cedar Island, Missouri River; 8889-90, Black/ 

 Hills. 4^J -, 



Later Expeditions.— 60690-2, 60972-3, Fort Bridger, Green River, &c. .T 



As Dr. Hayden remarks, this species is quite rare in the Northwest, . <^j. 

 the nature of the surface being for the most part unsuited to its wauts.^/ 

 It is confined to the wooded streams and the mountains about the vari 

 ous headwaters of the Missouri. In the Eastern United States, the . 

 bird is not plentiful south of the Middle States, aiid is apparently V^ / 

 wanting in the Sonthern States, its place being supplied by the pecu-. 

 liar S. pusilla, along with S. carolinenniH. About Washington, D. C, it 

 was occasionally observed by Dr. Prentiss and myself, but only from 

 October to May. It is resident in New England, breeding abundantly 

 in the northern portions, Audubon gives an interesting note of its 

 nidification : "I found it building its nest," he says, "near Eastport, '■'''' 

 in Maine, on the 19th of May, before the Bluebird had made its ap- < 

 pearance there, and while much ice still remained on the northern 

 exposures. The nest is dug in a low dead stamp, seldom more than four 

 feet from the ground, both the male and the female working by turns 

 until they have got to the depth of about fourteen inches. The eggs, 

 four in number, are small and of a white color, tinged with a deep blush 

 and sprinkled with reddish dots. They raise, I believe, only one brood 

 in the season." The eggs are only distinguishable from those of 8. caro- 

 linensis by their smaller size, averaging about 0.00 by 0.48; the differ- 

 ence is, however, quite appreciable on comparison. The amount of '^ 

 speckling is undetermined, but the surface is generally pretty evenly 

 covered. They are from tour to six in number. 



SITTA PYGM.EA, Vig. 

 Pygmy Nuthatch. 



Sitta pijgmcea, Vig., Zool. Beeche\ 's Voy. 1839, 29, pi. 4.— Add., Orn. Biog. v, 1839, 63, 

 pi. 415.— AuD., Syn. 1839, 168.— Aud., B. Am. iv, 1842, 184, pi. 250.— Nkwu., P. 

 E, R. Rep. vi, 18.')7, 79.— Bd., B. N. A. 1858, 378.— Sol., P. Z. S. 1859, 303 

 (Xalapa).— Coop. & Suck., N. H. Wash. Ter. 1860, 193.— Bd. Rev. 1864, 

 a8.— Scl., Ibis, 1865.— CouBS, Pr. Phila. Acad. 1866, 78.— Coop., Am. Nat. iii, 

 1869, 74 (Montana).— SUJIICH., Mem. Bost. Soc. i, 1869, 544 (Vera Cruz).— Coop., 

 B. Cal. i, 1870, .55.— Aiken, Pr. Bost. Soc. 1872, 195.— CouES, Key, 1872, 83, lig. 27. 



Sitta pusilla var. pygmaia, Allen, Bull. M. C. Z. 1872, 174 (mountains of Colorado, up 

 to 8,000 feet). 



Hab. — Rocky Mountains to the Pacific. North to 49°. South to Xalapa. 



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