ZOOLOGY. 79 



23. Sltta. Nuthatch. UzV/strait, strong, pointed ; nostrils 

 small, covered with bristles ; tongue short, horny and 

 jagged at the tip ; toes^ three forward and one back- 

 ward, the middle toe joined to the other two at the 

 base • feet formed for walking and climbing. 



These are very shy solitary birds ; retiring to the shades of 

 woods and forests ; they build or rather deposit their eggs, 

 in the holes of trees, very frequently in those deserted by 

 the last genus ; these they accommodate to their own size, 

 by stopping up the entrace with clay, leaving only sufficient 

 room for egress and regress : they feed on nuts, beech 

 masts, and other forest seeds ; also on insects and larvae, ia 

 search of which they may often be seen running up and 

 down the trunks and branches of trees. There is only one 

 jEuropean species, and that is a native of Great Britain, see 

 British Ornithology^ vol. 3. 



26. Todus. Tody. Bill blunt, pointed, depressed, strait, 

 the base beset with bristles ; nostrils oval, small ; feet 

 formed for walking. 



, All the species of this genus are extra-European, and most 

 of them are natives of South America ; they feed usually on 

 insects and worms ; and generally resort to low thickets, in 

 the vicinity of water. 



27. Alcedo. Kingfisher. Bill long, strait, somewhat 

 triangular, thick at the base, sharp-pointed ; tongue 

 broad, short, entire, pointtd ; nostrils small, and in 

 most species, covered with feathers ; legs short : toes 



