Wayne: Birds of South Carolina. 191 



another part of the woods, he will call and call until she comes, when 

 he feeds her. This habit I have not observed in the Brown-headed 

 Nuthatch, but it is characteristic of the Titmice. 



The nest of this nuthatch is very hard to discover; indeed I 

 have found but three during all these years, although I have 

 watched the birds daily for several weeks at a time. The first 

 nest was found early in March, 1903, while it was being con- 

 structed, and was taken on the 18th with the full complement of 

 five eggs. It was placed in an abandoned hole of the Red-cock- 

 aded Woodpecker (Dryobates borealis) , in a living pine tree twenty 

 feet from the ground. While the female was incubating, the 

 male frequently came to the hole bringing food for his mate and 

 exhibited the utmost affection and happiness. I disliked very 

 much to rifle their home, but the desire of possession was too keen 

 for me to resist, especially since it was the first nest I had ever 

 found. Although I nailed cleats upon the tree the female did not 

 leave the hole when I reached it, nor when it was being enlarged 

 with a hatchet, and she continued to cling to her treasures until I 

 gently removed her. This female had the top of head and nape 

 wholly black. Another set of five eggs was taken on April 6 of the 

 same year and belonged to the same pair, being the second laying. 

 The eggs were laid in a hole of the Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates 

 pubescens), in a dead pine thirty-five feet from the ground. 



On March 29, 1904, I found a nest containing five eggs and left 

 them until the 31st to see if more would be added, but upon ex- 

 amining the contents, the set still contained the original number 

 and was without doubt complete. This nest was built in a 

 natural cavity of a red oak tree about forty feet above the ground. 

 As far as my experience goes, this form does not excavate a hole 

 for the reception of its nest and eggs, but uses the deserted holes 

 of the smaller woodpeckers, as well as natural cavities of trees. 

 The nest is composed of bark strippings of various plants, as well 

 as caterpillar silk and cocoons. The eggs are white, thickly 

 speckled with reddish brown and lavender shell markings. A 

 set of five eggs measure respectively: .73X-57, .74X-56, .72X.56, 

 •73X.58, and .74X-58. 



295. Sitta canadensis Linn. Red-breasted Nuthatch. 1 



1 The Charleston Museum has the following records for this species in 1906: Octo- 

 ber 10, St. Andrews Parish, Mr. H. R. Sass ; October 28, St. Andrews Parish, Messrs. 

 H. R. Sass and F. M. Weston, Jr.; October 29-November 2, a pair seen in his garden 

 in Charleston by Mr. Sass, and recorded by him in BuU. Chas. Mus. , II, 1906, 65- 

 66.— Ed. 



