134 DESCRIPTION OF SITTA CAKOLIXENSIS ACULEATA 



Sleiider-I>illed J\ii(liati'h 



Sitta carolincnsi«> aciiloata ' 



Sitta fai'OiillCllsis, /^<., of some authors. — Towns. Journ. Phila. Acad. viii. 1639, 155. — Wnodli. 



Sitgr. Rep. 1853, 66.— JVe;6'6. PURR. vi. 1657, 79.— (>)Sci. PZS. 1856, 293 ; 1858, 300; 1859, 



363,373 (all Mexican quotations).— (?) Siimich. Mem. Boat. Soc. i. 1869, 544 (Vera Cruz). 

 Sitta aeulcata, Ortss. Pr. Phila. Acad. viii. 1856, 254 (California).— S'cZ. PZS. 1857, 126.— Brf. 



BNA. 1858, 375; ed. of 1860, 375, pi. 33, f. X—Kenn. PRRR. x. 1859, Whipple's Route, 



26, pi. 33, {. 3.—Heerm. PRRR. x. 1859, Williamson's Route, 56.— Xant. Pr. Phila. 



Acad. 1859, 191.— C. SfS. NHWT. 1860, 193.— Bd. RAB. 1864, 86.— Feiliier, Smiths. Rep. 



for 1864, 1865, i-25.— Cones, Pr. Phila. Acad. 1866, IB.— Brown, Ibis, 2d ser. iv. 1868, 421 



(Vancouver). — Coop. Am. Nat. iii. 1869, lA.—Coop. B. Cal. i. 1870, 54, tigs.— /i/Aiera, Pr. 



Bost. Soc. XV. 1872, 195.— i/en-. U. S. Geol. Surv. Terr, for 1872, 1873, 672, 713.— 



Coop. Am. Nat. viii. 1874, 17. 

 Sitta carolinensiS irtr. aculeata, Coites, Key, 1872, %3.—Allm, 'BaW. MCZ. iii. 1872, 174.— 



TJW^. Bull. Essex Inst. v. 1873, ISO.— Allen, I'r. Bost. Soc. 1874, oO.-Yarr.d-Hensh. 



Rep. Orn. Specs. 1874, S.-Hensh. Rep. Orn. Specs. 1874, 40, 73, 100.— Cones, BNW. 



1874, 24, 230.-5. B. S,- R. NAB. i. 1874, 117, fig. pi. 8, with fig. 2.—Hensh. Ann. List. B. 



Ariz. 1875, 155.— Hensh. Zool. Expl. W. 100 Merid. 1876, 173. 



Hab. — Wooded regions of the Middle and Western Provinces of tbe United 

 States, and portions of Mexico. 



Oh. sp. — S $ Cccruleo-iAmnhea^ infra alba, crlsso rufonoiaio., 

 alls nigricantihus, cccruleo-plumheo limhatis, rectrieibus mediis 

 dorso coucoloribus, ca'feris nigris^ albo-notatis ; rostro tenuissimo ; 

 S 2)ileo, nuclui et cervice atris, 2 pileo nigricante a ut dorso concolore. 



$ , adult : Upper parts, central tail-feathers and mnch edginji; of the 

 wings clear ashy-bhie, the whole crown, nape and bacii of the neck glossj' 

 Mack. Under parts, including sides of the neck and head to above the eyes, 

 dull white, more or less marked on the flanks and crissum with rusty-brown. 

 Wings and their coverts blackish, mnch edged as already said, and with an 

 oblique bar of white on the outer webs of the primaries towards their ends ; 

 concealed bases of primaries white ; under wing-coverts mostly blackish ; 

 no bold bluish and black variegation cf the innermost secondaries. Tail, 

 excepting the. two middle feathers, black ; each feather marked with white 

 in increasing amount, the outer web of the lateral feather being mostly 

 white. Bill blackish-plumbeous, pale at the base below, extremely slender. 

 Feet dark brown. Iris brown. Length, 5A-6 inches ; extent, 10^-11 ; wing, 

 3| ; tail, \\ ; bill about f of an iuch long, but ouly about | of an inch deep 

 at the base. 



$: Similar to the i; but the black of the head imperfect, mixed or over- 

 laid with the color of the back, or altogether restricted to the nape. 



This form, extremely similar to the eastern .S. t'«ro/(Hc»S(s, dift'ers in the 

 slenderer bill, which is only 1-J deep at the base, in,stead of !-i, and in the 

 indistinctness of the markings of the inner secondaries, which, in .S. caroii- 

 nennis, are boldly variegated with bhickish and ashy-blue. 



I HAVE never observed tlie sligbte.st difference in habits 

 between this species and its familiar eastern representative; 

 other authors also agree that one is the counterpart of the 



