348 LAND BIBDS 



733. PLAIN TITMOUSE. — Bceolophus inornatus. 



Family : The Nuthatches and Tits. 



Length: 5.00-5.60. 



Adults: Upper parts olive-gray, becoming lighter and grayer on under 



parts ; belly nearly white. 

 Ymmg: Upper part's tinged with rusty brown ; under parts whitish. 

 Geographical Distribution: Pacific coast west of the Sierra Nevada, 



through California and Oregon. 

 California Breeding Range: Oak regions of upper Sonoran zone west 



of the Sierra Nevada. 

 Breeding Season : March and April. 

 Nest: In natural cavities of dead trees, or sometimes in old woodpeckers' 



holes ; lined with rabbit fur or feathers. 

 Eggs: 6 or 8 ; plain white. Size 0.64 X 0.49. 



The tufted titmouse of the Eastern United States finds 

 its California counterpart in the Plain Titmouse, an inde- 

 pendent, aggressive little bird found among the live oaks 

 of the foot-hills. He seldom enters the pine forests, 

 but loves the sunny open slopes, where he wanders 

 with small flocks of others of his species, searching for 

 insect life in a very businesslike way through the tall 

 bushes and oak trees. His common note of " tsee-day- 

 day " is not unlike that of the mountain chickadee, and 

 occasionally he indulges in a whistled " peto, peto " that 

 reminds one of his pretty Eastern cousin. But these are 

 only two of a variety of notes the bird utters under vari- 

 ous conditions. 



The nest of this species is usually in a cavity of an 

 oak tree limb,- the entrance being through a knot hole 

 well sheltered from the rain. To watch the develop- 

 ment of the brood it is usually necessary to mutilate the 

 tree, and so I have contented myself with observations 



