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Their food consists chiefly of insects, 

 though they occasionally take nuts, 

 which they wedge into cracks in order 

 to open them with their sharp bills. 

 This habit is responsible for their 

 common name. 



This Family includes about sixty 

 species, widely distributed throughout 

 the world. China has three species. 



The only species which reaches the 

 Yangtse Valley is the Chinese Nuthatch 

 [Sitta caesia sinensis (Verr.)] . It 

 differs from the Nuthatch (Sitta 

 caesia) of western Europe only in 

 being slightly smaller. It is bluish 

 gray above, and reddish below, with 

 some white on the throat, and a white 

 eyebrow. It is resident in the hills, 

 but rarely seen in the Yangtse Valley. 



Famliy, Paridae, the Titmice. 



The Titmice, or Tits, have a short, 

 stout, unnotched, conical bill. The 

 nostrils are covered with nasal fea- 

 thers. The wings are short, and 

 rounded, and the tail varying in length 

 and shape. 



They have soft, lax, plumage ; the 

 sexes being alike, and the young paler, 

 but retaining the same color pattern. 



This Family contains over two 

 hundred species, covering the whole 

 world, except South America, Austra- 

 lia, and Polynesia. China has twenty 

 seven species, and the Yangtse Valley 

 six. 



THE LESSER GRAY TIT. 



: PARUS MINOR, T. & S. 

 Description. — Length five inches. 

 Bill black. Tarsus grayish black. Iris 

 brown. 



