532 Mr. H. F. Witherby — Ornithological 



was of tlie right size for the Nuthatch, and therefore it did 

 not need mud on the outside, but the use of dung on the 

 inside seemed curious, because there was plenty of mud 

 obtainable. Most seasons, however, are perhaps too dry 

 for the birds to obtain mud when they require it, and the 

 use of dung instead may have possibly become a permanent 

 habit with these birds. At Kalah-Mushir, on April 9th, a 

 nest contained seven hard-set eggs which do not differ from 

 those of S. e. ccesia. At the same place, on April 12th, I 

 found a finished nest without eggs. Young were fledged on 

 May 18th, near Aliabad (7300 ft.). 



43. SlTTA NEUMAYERI SYRIACA. 



Sitta syriaca Ehr. ; Blanf. t. c. p. 223. 



Sitta rupicola Blanf. t. c. p. 225. 



33, 58, 59, 128, 129, 325, 407, 445. Ad. ; 336, 337. Juv. 



I can recognise only two forms of the Bock-Nuthatch — 

 Sitta neumayeri Michah (smaller and darker ; from Europe, 

 Asia Minor to Caucasus), and S. syriaca Ehr. (larger and 

 paler, with the breast white or creamy, outer tail-feathers 

 with or without rust-coloured marks ; from Syria, Palestine, 

 Caucasus, Persia, Turkestan, Baluchistan, and Afghanistan). 



Dr. Hellmayr (Tierr. 18 Lief., Paridse &c, pp. 174 & 175) 

 has distinguished S. n. syriaca, with a white breast, and 

 the outer tail-feathers either without rust-coloured markings 

 or with only a narrow edge of that colour. S. n. tephronota 

 Sharpe, has a creamy breast and rust-marked outer tail- 

 feathers. But these features are by no means constant ; 

 all my specimens have white breasts, but other specimens 

 from Persia have creamy breasts. Some of my specimens 

 have the outer tail-feathers rust-marked and some have not. 

 The length of the black eye-stripe is also a very variable 

 feature. 



The Rock-Nuthatch was very common throughout our 

 journey. We noticed it in the first pass from the coast, and 

 saw it on the Kuh-i-Dinar at an elevation of nearly 10,000 ft. 



It is a most amusing bird to watch, and has an extraordi- 

 nary variety of loud and far-sounding notes. It can whistle 



