SYNONYMY AND DESCRIPTION OF SITTA PYGMiEA 139 



Pygmy ^iiliaalcli 



Sitta pyginsea 



Sitta pyguiaea, rig. Zool. Voy. Blosa. 1839, 29, pi. 4. f. 2 (Califoruia).— S/). 0. &- GL. 1838, 



10.— And. OB. V. 1839, 63, pi. 415.— Aud. Syn. 1839, im.—Gamb. Pr. Phila. Acad. iii. 1846, 



Ui.-Sd. PZS. 1859, 363 (Xalapa).— (7oo;j. <£ Suck. NHWT. 1860, 193.— JSrf. Ivea'a Rep. 



Col. R. pt. vi. 1861, 6.—Bd. RAB. 1864, 88.— Scl. Ibis, 2d ser. i. 1865, 311.— Feibm; Smiths. 



Rep. for 1864, 1865, 426 (habits).— Oohcs, Pr. Phila. Acad, xviii. 1866 78 (Arizona).— 



Brown, Ihis,2(\ ^r. iv. 1868, 421 (Vancouver).— Ooo/a Am. Nat. iii. 1869,74, Wd.—Surmch. 



Mem, Bost. Soc. i. 1869, 544 (Vera Cruz).— Coo;?. B. Cal. i. 1870, 55, Rg.— Aiken, Pr. Bost. 



Soc. XV. 1872, 195 (Colorado).— Ooj^es, Key, 1872, 83.— Coop. Am. Nat. viii. 1874, 17.— 



Cones, BNW. 1874, 25, 230.— B. 5. .^ -R. NAB. 1. 1874, 120, pi. 8.— Torr. cV «e?!s/(. Rep. 



Orn. Specs. 1874, 8.— Yarr. Rep. Oru. Specs. 1874, 34.— ffcns/t. Zool. Expl. W. 100 Merid. 



1876, 17.5. 

 Sitta pygmea, Atid.B\. iv. 1842, 184, pi. 250.— H'oodh. Sitgr. Rep. Zufii R. 1853, eG.—Hcnrij, Pr. 



Phila. Acad. vii. 1855, 313 ; xi. 1859, 107 (New Mexico).— iVtw6. PRRR. vi. 1859, 79. 

 Sitta pyginaea, Bp. CA. i. 1850, 227.— B</. BNA. \858,318.—Kcvnerly, PRRR. x. 1859,Vi^hippIe'8 



Route, 26. 

 Sitta piailia^a. Coop. Am. Nat. iv. 1871, 757. 

 Sitta pilSilla vnr. pygina>a. Allen. Bull. MCZ. iii. 1872, 174 (Colorado) —/?/rfo-. Bull. Essex Inst. 



v. 1873, 180 (Colorado).— //««.•</(. Rep. Orn. Specs. 1874, 40, 73, 100. 



Pygmy Nuthateli, Califoniiaii Nutliatch, Vul?. 



H.\B. — United States from the Rocky Mountaius to the Pacific. North to 

 49*^ (Vancouver, Broivn). South in Mexico to Xahipa aud Vera Cruz. 



Ch. sp. — ?> 9 Plumbeo-cwnilea, pileo et nucha oUvaceo-brunneis, 

 latemliter ohscurioribus, macula alba nuchali obmleta ; recfriclbus 

 mecUis dorso coiicoloribus, macula mayna longitndinali alba; infra 

 sordlde alba, plus minusve rvfescens, crisso lateribusque dorso viv 

 discoloribus. 



$ 9 : Upper i)art.s ashy-blue, aud wings with little or no markings (as iu 

 canadensis), though some of the outer primaries maybe narrowly edged with 

 white. Whole top of head, nape and back of neck, with the sides of the 

 head to below the eyes, olive-brown, the lateral borders of this patch blackish, 

 and an oksolete whitish patch at the back of the neck. Central tail-feathers 

 like the back, but with a long white spot, and their outer webs black at the 

 base; other tail-feathers blackish, with white marks, and often also tipped 

 with the color of the back. Entire under parts rangiug in different specimens 

 from a mere usuddy white to smoky-brown or rich rusty, nearly or quite as 

 intense as in S. canadennis; the Hanks aud crissnm shaded with a duller 

 wash of the color of the back. Bill aud feet dark plumbeous, the former ' 

 paler'jat base below. Iris black. Length about 4 inches, or rather less; 

 extent about 8 ; wiug, 2i ; tail, 1^ ; tai'sus, 'j ; bill about A. 



Young : Differs {from the adult much as the 9 of the foregoing species 

 dift'ers from the cf , iu having] the top of the head like the back; the 

 under parts are usually muddy-whitish, but there is great diflereuce in this 

 respect. The tail-feathers {have (oustantly shown me the characteristic 

 markings of the species. 



