522 
BIRDS OF NEW MEXICO 
confined as this to a definite belt of altitude. Several birds were seen at Cloud- 
croft, 9,000 feet, in late July, 1909 (G-een), but they may have nested at a lower 
altitude. In the Capitan Mountains they were noted from June 13, 1899 (Bailey), 
to June 28 and July 9, 1903, most common at 8,000 feet, but following down to the 
lower limit of the yellow pines on the southwest slope of the mountains (Gaut). 
(At Lake Burford they were fairly common, May 23-June 19, 1918 (VVetmore). 
West of Tres Piedras, at 8,000 feet, young were found in an aspen nest, June 6, 
1916 (Ligon). Several pairs nest in the Santa Fe Canyon up to 7,800 feet (Jensen).] 
They nest abundantly at Willis, 7,800 feet (Henshaw); but were not noted much 
higher in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains (Ligon). They were breeding in the 
cottonwoods at Glorieta, 7,500 feet, July 9, 1903 (Weller); and in the pines on 
Mesa Yegua, at 7,400 feet, June 25, 1903 (Bailey); at 7,000 feet in the pines at 
Fort Wingate, June 27, 1905 (Hollister); were common June 15. 1909, at 8,000 feet 
in the Zuni Mountains, and a few were noted up to 8,500 feet (Goldman); they 
breed in the Chuska Mountains (Gilman); in the Pinos Altos Mountains near 
Silver City, among the pines, oaks, and junipers, 7,000-8,000 feet, July 8, 1894 
(Fisher); at 8,000 feet in Monument Pass, Sierra County, June 3, 1913 (Ligon); 
in the Organ Mountains (Merrill); the Animas Mountains (Goldman); and at Tres 
Piedras, 8,000 feet (Loring). 
In the fall the species wanders sometimes below, but mainly somewhat above 
its breeding range [several observed in Albuquerque at about 5,000 feet in September 
(Ligon, 1916-18)]; one taken at Silver City, November 6, 1912 (Kellogg); to at 
least 9,000 feet in the Chuska Mountains, early in October, 1908 (Birdseye); and 
to 10,000 feet in the Mogollon Mountains, late October, 1908 (Goldman). [One 
was seen, July IS, 1919, on the very top of Pecos Baldy, 12,600 feet (Ligon).] 
It remains through the winter not far from its summer home, as at Chama, 
7,800 feet, December 21, 1893 (Loring); while at the same time it descends a little 
lower in the valleys to Albuquerque (Harman); and Fruitland, 5,000 feet (Birdseye); 
Gila, 4,500 feet (Goldman); Socorro, 4,500 feet (Abert); and Fort Fillmore, 3,800 
feet (Henry).—W. W. Cooke. 
Nest.— Usually in oaks or pines, but also in aspens; a natural cavity, with a 
long narrow opening, lined with hair and fur of various animals. Eggs: Usually 
5, white, spotted with reddish brown. 
Food. —Insects and spiders constitute about 50 per cent, mainly beetles, moths, 
and caterpillars, with ants and wasps—all in the bird’s favor except a few ladybird 
beetles. More than half the vegetable food consists of mast—acorns and other 
nuts, or large seeds. The Nuthatch does no injury so far as known, and much 
good (Henshaw). 
General Habits. A black-headed, white-cheeked, and short- 
tailed Rocky Mountain Nuthatch walking calmly down the side of a 
yellow pine trunk, calling hack-ack-ack-ack-ack-ack-ack-ack, is a pleasantly 
familiar figure to western field workers. While its general plumage is 
protectively inconspicuous, its strikingly white cheeks and white tail 
marks serve well as directive marks in the shadowy forest. 
At Mesa \ egua, in June, and Glorieta and Bernal Mesa, in August, 
we found the birds in the yellow pines at the lower edge of Transition 
Zone at the base of the Rocky Mountains. We also found them at 
many different points in the yellow pine belt, notably in the Guadalupe 
Mountains, about the La Jara, Horse, and Burford Lakes, on the 
