5. siTTA, 343 



Nommd. p. 6-5 ; Suiidev. J.f. 0. 1854, p. 64 ; Dubois, Ois. de VEur. 



p. 107, pi. 107; Rey, Synon, etirop. Brutvogel, p. 30; Taczan. 



J. f. O. 1872, p. 353. 

 Sitta asiatica, Tem7n. ; Gould, B. Eur. iii. pi. 236 (1837) Reichenb. 



Handh.,^ Scans, p. 150, pi. 511. fig. 3548 (1851). 

 Sitta sibirica, Brehin, Ncaimannia, 1855, p. 274. 

 Sitta roseilia, Bp. C. A. i. p. 227 ; Blakiston, Ibis, 1862, p. 322, and 



1803, p. 99 ; Sivinh. Ibis, 1863, p. 444. 

 Sitta eiiropoea, Wliitely, Ibis, 1807, p. 196. 



Adult male. General colour above, including crown of the head, 

 neck, mantle, back, scapulars, and the central pair of the tail-feathers, 

 pale slaty blue ; quills and wing-coverts brownish, the outer webs 

 of the secondaries and wing-coverts strongly washed with a colour 

 similar to that of the back ; all the tail-feathers but the central 

 ones are brownish black with large greyish tips, the two or three 

 outer pairs with a large subterminal white patch ; a very distinct 

 stripe of black extends from the nostrils through the eye along the 

 sides of the neck ; chin, cheeks, coverts, and nearly all the remainder 

 of the underparts are white ; flanks rich chestnut-red ; under tail- 

 coverts white, broadly edged with chestnut-red ; edge of wing, axil- 

 laries, and inner edge of quills white ; under wing-coverts sooty black ; 

 thiglis brownish grey with whitish tips ; " bUl blue-slate ; iris dark 

 brown ; legs and claws brown-fleshy" (WTiiieh/). 



Adult female. Like the male, but flanks and abdomen creamy 

 colour, with the chestnut spots perhaps less pronounced. 



Youncj. Above dull bluish grey ; abdomen, flanks, and under tail- 

 coverts reddish buff, with no chestnut colour ; longitudinal stripe on 

 sides of head brownish. 



Measurements. This species is much subject to individual varia- 

 tion in size, as will be seen from the following list : — 



Oulmen. Wing. Tail. Tarsus, 



in. in. in. in. 



(5 . Archangel 0-7 



Ad. Archangel 0'7 



^. Sweden 0-85 



cJ . Norway 0"86 



S. Norway 0-80 



S . Sweden 0-85 



S . Hakodadi 0-66 



Length of wing of specimens of S. europaa, var. uralcnsis, in 

 Mr. Seebohm's collection : — 



in. in- 



^ . Krasnojarsk 3-10 c? • Yenesay, 66i° N. lat 3-20 



^ . Baikal 3'20 2 • Yenesay 3-05 



cJ . Yenesay, 60^° N. lat 3-22 2 . Yenesay 3-10 



cJ . Yenesay, 66i° N. lat 3-15 j . Yenesay 2-95 



Ohs. 1. The black ocular stripe is often bordered superiorly and 

 towards the forehead by hoary grey or whitish feathers, which 

 produces a more or less conspicuous whitish superciliary stripe : 

 this is found in specimens from Scandinavia as well as in the most 

 eastern ones. 



