NUTHATCH. 



PASSE RES. 



SiTTA C^SIA, Wolf*. 



THE NUTHATCH. 



Sitta Enropcea +. 



SiTTA, Linnaus X- — Bill moderate, strong and compressed, the culmen very 

 slightly arched, tlie gonys ascending towards the point. Tongue short and horny, 

 the tip ahrupt and furnished with strong bristles. Nostrils basal, rounded, 

 placed in a deep hollow, covered by hairs and short feathers. Legs .short and 

 stout ; the tarsi scutellated ; toes long and strong, the hind toe especially, the outer 

 toe joined at its base to the middle toe ; claws large and much hooked. Wings 

 rather long ; the first feather much shorter than the second, the fourth or fifth 

 the longest. Tail short, flexible, broad and nearly even. 



Our well-known Nuthatch was long considered the sole 

 example of its genus in Europe, but not only have other 

 well-marked species been discovered within the limits of this 

 quarter of the globe, but our bird has been shewn to differ 

 from that which was described by Linnaeus sufficiently to 



* Taschenb. deutsch. Viigelk. i. p. 128 (1810). 



+ Not Sitta euroj^a'a, Linnreus. X ^i'st. Nat. Ed. 12, i. p. 177. 



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