. Useful birds and their protection. Containing brief descriptions of the more common and useful species of Massachusetts, with accounts of their food habits, and a chapter on the means of attracting and protecting birds . and exposure, and the birds were doing no harm,as the bees, once away from the hive, would never have beenable to return to its shelter. The Chickadee is not knownto injure grain or cultivated fruit. Occasionally it pecks afrozen apple left hanging on the tree in winter, but I canfind no record of its having injured fruit at any other would be hard to find a bird mor
. Useful birds and their protection. Containing brief descriptions of the more common and useful species of Massachusetts, with accounts of their food habits, and a chapter on the means of attracting and protecting birds . and exposure, and the birds were doing no harm,as the bees, once away from the hive, would never have beenable to return to its shelter. The Chickadee is not knownto injure grain or cultivated fruit. Occasionally it pecks afrozen apple left hanging on the tree in winter, but I canfind no record of its having injured fruit at any other would be hard to find a bird more harmless or more usefulthan this species. White-breasted Nuthatch. Silta carnlinensis. Length.—About six inches. Adult. — Upper parts a rather light bluish-gray; crown, nape of neck, and upperback black ; wings and tail marked somewhat with black and white: lowerparts and sides of head mainly white. — In an old post or an excavation in a tree trimk, which is sometimes hol-lowed out by the birds. Eggs. — Much like those of the Chickadee, but larger. Season. —Resident. Most writers regard this common and familiar species asa bird of the forest; but in eastern ^Massachusetts it has 172 USEFUL Fig. 54. —Wliite-brensted Nuthatch, two-thirdsnatural size. become a frequenter of orchard and shade trees, and is com-monly seen along village streets in fall, winter, spring, andsometimes even in midsummer, although comparatively few breed in the State. Inthe fall it may be seenhere and there in thewoods or orchards, oftenin company with Chick-adees and other treegleaners. In winterthis species is almostalways engaged duringdaylight in a diligentsearch over the trunks and larger limbs of trees, particularlyon the rough bark of the larger trunks, where it finds agreat part of its insect food. In one instance, where aworkman had pared off most of the outer bark from a largeoak, two of these Nuthatches were seen busily engaged fortwo days in searching and delving a
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