97 
Brewster on Southern Birds. 
I had never known the wonderful beauty of this Goat-sucker’s 
eve until I held the bird in my hand, and the size of its mouth 
would hardly be suspected from the examination of a dried skin. 
On April 17 the Acadian Flycatchers arrived. I was first 
made aware of their presence by their emphatic queefi eefi which 
so closely resembled that of Traill’s Flycatcher that I immedi- 
ately suspected the identity of the singers, although it was some 
time before I could get a sight at one. They had another note 
also which was much like the whistling of wings. I afterwards 
satisfied myself that this sound was a vocal one. 
I never left the “ Bay-gall” without reluctance in the days when I 
was perhaps the only invader of its secret recesses ; and now, in 
recalling it, the feeling is scarcely less strong. But the country 
about St. Mary’s held other attractions which must not be neg- 
lected. The open space surrounding the town was bordered on 
the north by a pine forest that stretched an indefinite number of 
miles into the interior, and my walks often tended in this direc- 
tion. Following some grass-grown road that wandered aimlessly 
among the trees, I often paused to watch the gambols of the 
Brown-headed Nuthatches which fairly swarmed in these woods. 
Thev are exceedingly social little birds, and it was no uncommon 
thing, even in the middle of their breeding season, to see five or^ 
six rollicking together. In their motions they closely resemble 
Sitta canadensis , and they have the same habit of exploring the 
ends of the pine branches and hanging head downward, like 
Titmice, among the tufts of pine needles. But they are decidedly 
more active, and their notes are shriller, more varied and alto- 
gether unlike those of either the Red or White-bellied species. 
Whick-whick-whed d d whick-ijohicker-whicker is the usual ut- 
terance, but when several come together their shrill excited piping 
altogether baffles description. These little companies were by 
no means wholly composed of Nuthatches, but usually included 
a more or less numerous escort of Pine Warblers, Bluebirds, 
Titmice and Woodpeckers. As the motley troop rambled 
through the woods, its members were continually chasing one 
another from tree to tree, chirping, calling and singing as their 
various moods dictated. I noticed that the Bluebirds usually led 
the van, while the Woodpeckers invariably brought up the rear. 
Unlike the Red-bellied, Downy, Hairy and Golden-winged 
species, which inhabited all sorts of timber, the Red-cockaded 
