THE BIRDS OF NORTHERN THAILAND 315 



SITTA EUROPAEA MONTIUM La Touche 



La Touche's Eurasian Nuthatch 



S[itta] montiumliA Touche, Ibis, 1899, p. 404 (Kuatun, northwestern Fuhkien). 

 Sitta europea nagaensis, de Schauensee, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1929, 



p. 530 (Doi Suthep) ; 1934, p. 182 (Doi Suthep, Doi Chiang Dao). 

 Sitta europaea nagaensis, Deignan, Journ. Siam Soc. Nat. Hist. Suppl., 1931, 



p. 135 (Doi Suthep) ; 1930, p. 104 (Doi Suthep).— Riley, U. S. Nat. Mus. 



Bull. 172, 1938, p. 315 (Doi Langka). 

 Sitta castanea neglecta, Chasen and Boden Kloss, Journ. Siam Soc. Nat. Hist. 



Suppl., 1932, p. 247 (Doi Suthep). 

 Sitta castanea neglecta [partim], Deignan, Journ. Siam Soc. Nat. Hist. Suppl., 



1936, p. 104 (Doi Suthep [partim]. 

 Sitta europaea delacouri Deignan, Journ. Washington Acad. Sci., vol. 28, No. 8, 



1938, pp. 371-372 (Doi Suthep, northwestern Thailand). 



The present race of this widespread species is strictly confined in 

 Thailand to certain peaks of the Thanon Thong Chai and Khun Tan 

 chains whose elevations exceed 4,500 feet. On Doi Ang Ka, Doi 

 Suthep, Doi Chiang Dao, and Doi Langka it is common from 5,000 to 

 5,500 feet (occasional as low as 4,500 feet) . 



I found this little nuthatch in small, loose bands, often accompanied 

 by unrelated forms, both in the evergreen and in tall pine-forest. In 

 addition to a constant, conversational chattering, it frequently utters 

 a note that de Schauensee (1929) compares with the nasal yank-yank 

 of the American S. carolinensis. 



A pair were observed carrying food into a nest hole on Doi Suthep, 

 5,500 feet, May 10, 1931. Examples in postjuvenal molt were taken 

 on the same mountain, July 13, 14, and 15, 1935. 



An adult female had the irides dark brown ; the maxilla slaty black, 

 plumbeous-blue at the rictus; the mandible plumbeous-blue, tipped 

 slaty black; the feet and toes slaty gray, tinged olive; the claws horny 

 black. 



Adults have a black band along each side of the head from the base 

 of the bill, through the eye, to the upper back ; the entire upperparts 

 uniform blue-gray ; the rectrices as in the preceding species ; the under- 

 pays gray, more or less strongly suffused with buff ; the lower flanks 

 chestnut ; the under tail coverts white, narrowly tipped and edged with 

 chestnut. Immatures differ in having the underparts with more buffy 

 suffusion and in having the lower flanks and margins of the under 

 tail coverts more chestnut-rufous. 



Personal examination of the type series of montium has shown that 

 my delacouri is probably inseparable from La Touche's race. 



SITTA EUROPAEA NEGLECTA Walden 



Walden's Eurasian Nuthatch 



Sitta neglecta Walden, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 4, vol. 5, 1870, p. 218 ("Karen 

 Hills of the Tonghoo district, Burma"). 

 583136—45 21 



