PASSERES— SITTIDAE 67 



TiCHODROMA. 



Habits of "Certhia" but frequenting rocks instead of 

 trees; tail soft, feathers not pointed; bill longer; claws 

 powerful for rock climbing ; nest in rock crevice ; eggs white, 

 finely freckled with dark red at larger end. 



Tichodroma muraria (L.). Wall Creeper. Fr. Grim- 

 pereau de muraille ; Ger. Mauerlaufer ; Ital. Picchio muraiolo. 



$ 9 Above slate grey (paler in winter), lesser and middle 

 wing coverts and outer margins of primaries crimson ; a white 

 spot on inner web of primaries near the tip ; beneath sooty 

 grey, cheeks, throat and chest black (in winter throat and chest 

 white). Bill, legs and feet black. Wing ^ 93-110, $ 93-104. 

 Tarsus 20-24. Bill ^ 23-30, $ 23-28 (W.). 



Breeds. — Alps and mountains of C. and S. Europe, Spain to 

 Balkans, Carpathians, Caucasus and into Asia ; occasionally strays 

 from breeding places, e.g. to Baltic Provinces, Britain, Belgium, 

 Sardinia, Malta, etc. 



SITTIDAE. 



Toes long and strong with powerful claws ; tarsus short : 

 tail soft, short; bill straight, wedge-shaped. 



SiTTA. 



Small climbing birds; sexes nearly alike; food, insects 

 and larvae, corn, nuts, fruit; nest in crevices of rocks or 

 holes in trees, entrance narrowed by plastered mud; eggs 

 like those of "Certhia." 



Sitta europaea europaea L. Nuthatch. Fr. Torchcpot ; 

 Ger. Klciber ; Ital. Picchiotto ; Siued. Notviicka. 



^ $ Above bluish slate ; a black stripe through eye to nape ; 

 central reclriccs like back, remainder black with subterminal 

 white spots or band ; beneath white, flanks and under tail 

 coverts chestnut brown. Bill blackish horn above, whitish below. 

 Legs and feet yellowish grey. Wmg 78-91. Tarsus 17-20. Bill 

 18-5-19.5 (H.). 



AVj-^V/tv/A— Norway to dz N., Sweden, Denmark (Zealand, 

 Fiinen), N. Russia to 60° N., east to Ufa and Samara. Irregular 

 occurrence in Finland. 



