INSESSORES. 009 



trees, and do not incubate in the holes of trees hke the Nut- 

 hatches of Europe and India. 



Sp.373. SITTELLA CHRYSOPTERA, Swains. 



Orange-winged Sittella. 

 Sitta chrysoptera, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., p. xxxii. 

 Orange-winyed Nuthatch, Lath. Gen. Syu. Supp., vol. ii. p. 146, pi. 227. 

 Sitta ? chrysoptera, Steph. Cont. Shaw's Gen. Zool., vol. xiv. p. 189. 

 Neops chrysoptera, Vieill. 2nde edit, du Diet. d'Hist. Nat., torn. xxxi. 



p. 331. 

 Sittella ch-ysoptera. Swains. Class, of Birds, vol. ii. p. 317. 

 Mur-ri-gang, Aborigines of New South Wales. 



Sittella chrysoptera, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 101. 



New South Wales is the true habitat of this species, over 

 nearly every part of which it is rather plentifully distributed. 

 I generally observed it in small companies of from four to 

 eight in number, running over the branches of the trees with 

 the greatest facility, and assuming every possible variety of 

 position; often, like the Nuthatch, traversing the boles of 

 the trees with its head downwards. . 



During its flight, which is quick and darting, the red mark 

 on the wing shows very conspicuously ; its powers of flight 

 are, however, seldom employed, further than to enable it to 

 pass from one tree to another. 



The colouring of this bird is more sombre, and has the 

 markings of the head less decided, than any other species of 

 the genus. The darker colouring of the head and ear-coverts 

 of the female, however, at once points out to the ornithologist 

 the sex of any specimen he may possess of this genus. 



The male has the head dark brown ; all the upper surface 

 grey, with a broad streak of dark brown down the centre of 

 each feather ; wings dark brown, with a broad patch of rich 

 rufous crossing the primaries and secondaries ; upper tail- 

 coverts white ; tail black, the outer feathers tipped with 

 white ; all the under surface grey, with a faint streak of 



2 K 



