BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH. 165 
BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH.—SITTA PUSILLA.—Fic. 65 
Small Nuthatch, Catesby, Car. i. 22, upper figure. — La petite sitelle a téte brune, 
Buff. v. 474, — Peale's Museum, No. 2040, — Briss. iit. 958. — Lath. i. 651, C. 
SITTA PUSILLA. — LatHam. 
Sitta pusilla, Bonap. Synop. p. 97. 
Tuis bird is chiefly an inhabitant of Virginia and the Southern 
States, and seems particularly fond of pine-trees. I have never yet 
discovered it either in Pennsylvania or any of the regions north of 
this. Its manners are very similar to those of the Red-bellied Nut- 
hatch, represented in No. 7; but its notes are more shrill and chirp- 
ing. In the countries. it inhabits it is a constant resident; and in 
winter associates with parties, of eight or ten, of its own species, whe 
hunt busily from tree to tree, keeping up a perpetual screeping. It is 
a frequent companion of the Woodpecker figured beside it; and you 
rarely find the one in the woods without observing or hearing the other 
not far off. It climbs-equally in eVery direction, on the smaller branches 
as well as on the body of the tree, in search of its favorite food, small 
insects and their larve. It also feeds on the seeds of the pine-tree. 
I have never met with its nest. 
This species is four inches and a quarter long, and eight broad; the 
whole upper part of the head and neck, from the bill to the back, and 
as far down as the eyes, is light brown, or pale ferruginous, shaded 
with darker touches, with the exception of a spot of white near the 
back; from the nostril through the eyes, the brown is deepest, making 
a very observable line there; the chin, and sides of the neck under 
the eyes, are white; the wings, dusky; the coverts and three seconda- 
ries next the body, a slate or lead color, which is also the color of 
the rest of the upper parts; the tail is nearly even at the end, the two 
middle feathers slate color, the others black, tipped with slate, and 
crossed diagonally with a streak of white; legs and feet, dull blue ; 
upper mandible, black; lower, blue at the base; iris, hazel. The 
female differs in having the brown on the head rather darker, and the 
line through the eye less conspicuous. 
This diminutive bird is little noticed in history, and what little has 
been said of it by Europeans is not much to its credit. It is charac- 
terized as “a very stupid bird,” which may easily be knocked down, 
from the sides of the tree, with one’s cane. I confess [ found it a very 
dexterous climber, and so rapid and restless in its motions as to be 
shot with difficulty. Almost all very small birds seeni less suspicious 
of man than large ones; but that activity and restless diligence should 
constitute stupidity, is rather a new doctrine. Upon the whole, Iam 
of opinion, that a person who should undertake the destruction of these 
bifds, at even a dollar a head for all he knocked down with his cane, 
would run a fair.chance of starving by his profession.* 
* In our note at page 24, we mentioned thatthe American Nuthatches and that 
of Europe were the only species known, ~ M. Vigors has sitice described, in the 
