124 SITTTD^E. 



through the eye to the shoulder ; lores, cheeks, ear-coverts and 

 chin white; the whole upper plumage and visible portions of 

 closed wing slaty-blue ; middle tail-feathers ashy-blue ; the next 

 t\vo black, edged and tipped with ashy-blue; the others with a 

 subterminal white patch on the inner webs and generally with 

 a white band on the outer web of the outermost leathers ; whole 

 lower plumage uniform dark chestnut-bay ; under tail-coverts 

 chestnut, centred with ashy; under wing-coverts black; a white 

 patch on the base of the primaries visible from below. 



Female is a paler chestnut below and the white on the face 

 is ill-defined. 



Colours of soft parts. Iris dark brown ; bill greenish or bluish 

 plumbeous, the terminal half black and lower mandible and base 

 paler; legs and feet greenish plumbeous. In some specimens 

 nearly the whole bill is black. 



Measurements. Length about 130 mm. ; wing 74 to 70 mm. ; 

 tail about 37 mm.; tarsus about 17 to 18 mm.; culmeu about 

 15 to 17 mm. 



Distribution. The whole of the northern plains of India as far 

 south as the Wynaad, as far west as Umballa and Khandesh and 

 as far east as Calcutta. I obtained it both in Nadia and the 

 24th Parganas, where however it is very rare. In Behar it is 

 extremely common to the east. 



Nidification. This little Nuthatch breeds principally in 

 February and March throughout its range, making its nest in 

 small holes in trees at any height from 10 to 30 feet from the 

 ground. A very favourite nesting-site is in mango-trees in 

 branches between 8 and 12 feet from the ground, and the 

 natural hollow is always cemented round with clay to reduce the 

 entrance to about 30 mm. This masonry work is also often 

 continued well down inside the hollow and on the bark outside 

 the tree as well and, even when the natural entrance to the hole 

 is in no way too big, it is nearly always made neat and tidy with 

 a clay finish. The nest is generally nothing but chips of dried 

 bark and soft tiuder-wood with a few leaves and rarely a little 

 dried moss. The eggs number anything from two to six, most 

 often five and are rather fragile, broad oval in shape and of the 

 usual white ground with red specks. They average about 

 ] 7-0 X 13-2 mm. Many birds must breed twice in the year, as 

 nests may be taken in May and June and even as late as 

 September. 



Habits. The Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch is entirely a plains' bird 

 and is very common in all well-wooded parts, though it is not a 

 forest bird. Mango-topes both in the vicinity of, as well as away 

 from, villages are very favourite resorts and two or more pairs 

 may often be found in the same orchard. They have the usual 

 restless habits of the genus and feed on the same kind of food. 



