302 SITTID^E. 



Binyham, S. F. ix, p. 171 ; Gadow, Cat. B. M. viii, p. 349 ; 

 Oates, B. B. i, p. 131 ; id. in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. i, p. 193. 



Coloration. Similar to Sitta cinnamomeiventris. Differs in having 

 the throat and breast much paler than the abdomen and cot con- 

 colorous with it, and in having the white of the chin, cheeks, and 

 ear-coverts blending with the rufous of the throat and breast, and 

 not sharply denned from it. The sexes of both species differ in 

 the same relative manner. 



Iris brown ; upper mandible bluish black, lower plumbeous ; 

 legs and feet dark plumbeous ; claws horn-colour. 



Length about 5'5 ; tail 1/7; wing 3'2; tarsus '75; bill from 

 gape '9. 



Distribution. Throughout Pegu and Tenasserim, up to the Irra- 

 waddy river on the west and to Karennee and the Salween river on 

 the east, and extending south to the latitude of Muleyit mountain 

 on both sides of the range. 



Habits, <Sfc. Bingham found the nest in Tenasserim on the 21st 

 March, with five young birds, in a hole of a branch of a dead tree. 

 The hole was about 6 inches deep, and the inouth of the hole was 

 plastered and reduced in size by an edging of clay. 



318. Sitta nagaensis. Austens Nuthatch. 



Sitta nagaensis, Godw.-Aust. P. Z. S. 1874, p. 44 ; id. J. A. S. B. 

 xliii, pt. ii, p. 167, pi. iv ; Htime, Cat. no. 248 ter ; Gadotv, Cat. 

 B. M. viii, p. 344. 



Coloration. Male. The lores and a band through the eyes down 

 the sides of the neck black; upper plumr.ge slaty blue; wings 

 dark brown edged with slaty blue, the tertiaries wholly of this 

 colour ; middle tail-feathers slaty blue ; the next pair black, with 

 some slaty at base and tip ; the next black, tipped with slaty on 

 the outer web and whitish on the inner ; the next two the same, 

 with a broader white tip, subterminal on the inner web ; outer- 

 most feather the same, but with a white band on the outer web ; 

 sides of the head and neck and the lower plumage grey ; sides of 

 the body rich chestnut ; under tail-coverts white, tipped and edged 

 with chestnut ; under wing-coverts black, followed by a white 

 patch at the base of the primaries visible only from below. 



It is not known if the female differs from the male, but it pro- 

 bably will be found to do so. 



Bill black above, grey below ; iris dark brown ; legs green-black 

 ( Godw in- Austen). 



Length about 5 ; tail 1'6 ; wing 3 ; tarsus -7 ; bill from gape 

 75. 



Distribution. Procured by Godwin-Austen at Sopvomah in the 

 Naga Hills, on the watershed, at 6000 feet. Several specimens 

 were obtained at the time. 



