1912 
STUDY OP TMP: liGOS OF TIIP: MELRAGR IDAP: 
213 
a number o£ eggs and sets of eggs of M. g. osceola, or Florida Turkey. In no. 
25787, the eggs are short and broad, the ground color being pale whitish, slightly 
tinged with brown. Some of the spots on these eggs are unnsually large in a few 
places, three or four running together, or are more or less confluent; others are 
isolated and of medium size ; manv are minute, all being of an earth-brown, vary- 
ing- in shades. In the case of no. 25787 of this set, the dark brown spots are more 
or less of a size and fewer in number; while one of them (no. 25787) is exactly 
like the eggs of number 3 ; finally, there is a pale one (no. 25787) with fine spots, 
few in number in middle third, very numerous at the ends. There are scattered 
large spots of a dark brown, the -surface of each of which latter are raised with a 
kind of incrustation. Another egg (no. 27869) in the same tray {M. g. osccola). 
is small, pointed; pale ground color with very few spots of light brown (Colk 
W. L. Ralph). Still another in this set (27868) is markedly roundish, with mi- 
nute brown speckling, uniformly distributed. There are nine eggs in this clutch 
(no. 27868), and, apart from the differences in form, they all closely resemble 
each other, and this is by no means always the case, as the same hen may lay any 
of the various styles enumerated above, either as belonging to the same clutch, 
or at different seasons. 
NESTING OF T.HE ROCKY MOUNTAIN NUTHATCH 
By F. C. WILLARD 
WITH TWO PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR 
T WO members of the interesting nuthatch family are regular breeders 
in the Huachiica Alotintains. They are the Pigmy Nuthatch {Sitta 
pygmaea), and the Rocky Mountain N'uthatch (Sitta caroliiiensis nel- 
soni). The latter appears much rarer than the former, but, owing to its more 
general range in the mountains, I am inclined to believe that it is really the most 
numerous. The Pigmy Nuthatch is confined to the higher ridges where pine 
stubs abound. The Rocky Mountain Nuthatch is found all over the mountains, 
from the oaks at the mouths of the canyons to the highest peaks, and it nests 
wherever found. 
Like their eastern cousin, the White-breasted, these birds talk to each other 
as they hunt for food along the trunk or branches of some tree. If the female is 
sitting, the male still keeps up his “talking" as he hunts for food to take to her. 
It is by watching- him at this time that I am able to locate the nest. He iisuallv 
takes the food for his mate into the nest, but it is a very common thing for her 
to come to the entrance to receive it, or even to leave the nest cavity entirely. 
A natural cavity with a long narrow opening is generally selected. The 
one shown in the illustration is typical. Nine out of ten nests are in oaks, the 
balance usually in pines though a sycamore or maclrone is occasionally selected. 
The nest is a mass of assorted fur and hair of various animals, skunk and 
squirrel fur, cow and deer hair predominating. I have also found rabbit fur 
and bear’s hair in their nests. Enough is used to completely fill the bottom of 
the cavity and come np a little on the sides. 
Five eggs comprise the usual set, though I once found three about to hatch, 
