NUTHATCH. 193 



and in the south of Europe, it is common and resident, 

 particularly in France, Provence, Italy, and Sicily. 



The beak is about as long as the head, thick, and strong, 

 rather depressed, and wider than high at the base ; the 

 ridge of the upper mandible rounded, the colour bluish 

 black ; the base of the under mandible pale brownish 

 white ; irides hazel ; from the base of the beak, through 

 the eye, to the shoulder, a black streak ; top of the head, 

 neck, back, wing-coverts, tertials, upper tail-coverts, and 

 the two middle tail-feathers, uniform light slate grey, the 

 primary quill- feathers darker ; all the tail-feathers, except 

 the two middle ones, black at the base, grey at the end, 

 with a patch of white between these two colours on the 

 three outside feathers at each side ; the chin white ; throat, 

 breast, and belly, buff colour ; flanks, and under tail- 

 coverts, chestnut, the latter tipped with white ; legs, toes, 

 and claws, light brown ; the hind toe and claw longer, and 

 much stronger than the middle toe. 



The whole length of the male described is rather less 

 than six inches. From the carpal joint to the end of the 

 wing, three inches and one-quarter ; the first feather very 

 short ; the second rather longer than the seventh, but 

 shorter than the sixth ; the third, fourth, and fifth nearly 

 equal in length, but the fifth rather the longest in the 

 wing. 



VOL. II. 



