5. SITTA 341 



5. SITTA. _ 



Type. 



Sitta, Linne, Si/st. Nat. i. p. 177 (1766) S. eiiropsea. 



Dendrophila, Swains. Class. B. ii. p. 318 (1837) S. azurea. 



Calisitta, Heichenb. Handh., Scans, p. 154 (1851) C, formosa. 



Bill a littlo longer than the head, straight, subulate, horizontally 

 compressed towards the tip, which is neither notched nor toothed. 

 Nostrils basal, in front of a coriaceous groove, but without any valve, 

 partly hidden by bristles and feathers ; no rictal bristles. Wings 

 long and about double the length of the tail ; first primary short ; 

 tip of wing formed by third, fourth, (fifth) primaries ; secondaries 

 short. Tail short and square. Tarsi short, covered anteriorly with 

 transverse scales ; hallux with claw longer than middle toe and 

 longer than tarsus. Sexes alike in plumage, the principal colours 

 of which are a light slaty blue and rusty red or brown. 



Range. Europe, Asia, America. 



Key to the Species. 



A. Mantle and back bluish grey. (Subgeneric group Sitta.) 

 a. Crown of head grey. 



a'. Entire under surface of body imifonn 



cinnamon- or deep chestnut-brown. 



a". Under tail-coverts blue-grey, edged 



with chestnut castaneoventris, p. 351. 



b". Under tail-coverts white, edged 

 with chestnut. 

 a^. Black stripe from nostrils to eye cinnamomeoventris, p. 351, 

 h^. Black stripe from nostrils over 



eye onto upper back cashmirensis, p. 352. 



b'. Under surface of body uniform rich 

 ochi-aceous. 

 c". Central pan* of tail-feathers white 

 at basal half; under tail-coverts 



colom-ed like abdomen himalayensis, p. 349. 



d". Central pair of tail-feathers with- 

 out any white basal patch ; under I casia, p. 347. 

 tail-coverts white, edged chestnut ( neglecta, p. 349. 

 c'. The rich ochraceous colour confined 

 to abdomen and flanks, throat and 

 breast being white or whitish ; no 

 chestnut patch on the flanks. 

 e". Under tail-coverts without any 

 white, 

 c^. Length of wing not exceeding 



3 inches nemnayeri, p. 345. 



d\ Length of wing from 3-3-3-7 



inches syriaca, p. 346. 



/". Under tail-coverts white, edged 



with chestnut amurensis, p. 345. 



d'. Breast and abdomen almost entirely 

 white ; a rich chestnut patch on the 

 flanks; under tail-coverts chestnut 

 for basal, white for terminal haK. 

 g". Length of wing 45 inches magna, p. 345. 



