THE BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH. 183 



seen on the ground, where they hop and turn over the dead leaves in search 

 of their food, which consists entirely of insects and their larvse. 



The young of this species do not acquire the brown colour of the head 

 until the approach of spring, when no difference is observable between the 

 sexes. 



Brown-headed Nuthatch, Sitta pusilla, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. ii. p. 105. 



Sitta pusilla, Bonap. Syn., p. 97. 



Brown-headed Nuthatch, Nutt. Man., vol. i. p. 584. 



Brown-headed Nuthatch, Sitta pusilla, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. ii. p. 151. 



Male, 4, 8. 



From Texas to Maryland. In the interior to Mississippi. Extremely 

 abundant. Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and the Carolinas. Resi- 

 dent. 



Adult Male. 



Bill of moderate length, strong, subcorneal, compressed, the tip abrupt and 

 wedge-shaped; upper mandible slightly convex in the dorsal outline, the 

 sides sloping, the edges acute; dorsal outline of lower mandible straight. 

 Nostrils basal, lateral, oblong. General form short and robust. Feet rather 

 short and strong; tarsus compressed, anteriorly scutellate, behind sharp; toes 

 free, scutellate above, the hind toe strong; claws arched, compressed, acute, 

 that of the hind toe large. 



Plumage soft and blended; wings of ordinary length, the second, third, 

 and fourth quills longest. Tail short, even, of twelve rounded feathers. 



Bill brownish-black above, and on the tips of the lower mandible, the 

 base of which is light greyish-blue. Iris hazel. Feet dusky brown. The 

 general colour of the plumage above is dull leaden-grey; the two middle 

 tail-feathers of the same tint; the rest black, the margin of the outermost 

 and the ends of it, and of the three next on each side, white, the tips grey. 

 Upper part of the head and hind-neck light reddish-brown, with a white 

 spot on the hind-neck. The under parts in general are dull white. 



Length 4 inches, extent of wings 8; bill along the back T 5 2, along the edge 

 T25 tarsus jg'. 



Adult Female. 



The female has the tints paler, but in other respects resembles the male. 



