SYNONYMY AND DESCRIPTION OF SITTA PYGMvBA 139 



Pygmy Nuthatch 



Si! t 



SWa pygimea, n f . Zool. Voy. Bloas. 1839, 29, pi. 4. f. 2 (California). -Bp. C. & GL. 1838, 



10. And. OB. v. 1839, 63, pi. 415. And. Syn. 1839, 168. Gamb. Pr. Phila. Acad. iii. 1846, 



112. ScZ. PZS. 1859, 363 (Xalapa). Coop. <& Suck. NHWT. 1860, 193. Bd. Ives'a Rep. 



Col. R. pt. vi. 1861, 6. Bd. RAB. 1864, 88. Scl. Ibis, 2d ser. i. 1865, 311. Fcilner, Smiths. 



Rep. for 1864, 1865, 426 (habits). Coues, Pr. Phila. Acad. xviii. 1866 78 (Arizona). 



Brown, Ibis, 2d g r. iv. 1868, 421 (Vancouver). Coop. Am. Nat, iii. 1869,74, 299. Sumich. 



Mem. Bost. Soc. i. 1869, 544 (Vera Cruz). Coop. B. Cal. i. 1870, 55, fig. Aiken, Pr. Boat. 



Soc. xv. 1872, 195 (Colorado) .Cones, Key, 1872, 83. Coop. Am. Nat. viii. 1874,. 17. 



Cones, BNW. 1874, 25, 230. B. B. <V R. NAB. i. 1874, 120, pi. 8. Yarr. 6f Hensh. Rep. 



Orn. Specs. 1874, 8. Yarr. Rep. Orn. Specs. 1874, 34. Hensh. Zool. Expl. W. 100 Merid. 



1876, 175. 

 Sltta pyginea, And. BA. iv. 1842, 184, pi. 250. Woodh. Sitgr. Rep. ZuiU R. 1853, 66. Henry, Pr. 



Phila. Acad. vii. 1855, 313 ; xi. 1859, 107 (New Mexico). Newb. PRRR. vi. 1859, 79. 

 Sitta pyginaea, Bp. CA. i. 1850, 227. Bd. BNA. 1858,378. Keunerly, PRRR. x. 1859,Whipple's 



Route, 26. 



Sitta piffmaea, Coop. Am. Nat. iv. 1871, 757. 

 Sitta pusillil var. pygimea, Allen, Bull. MCZ. iii. 1872, 174 (Colorado)./?^. Bull. Essex lost. 



v. 1873, 180 (Colorado). Hensh. Rep. Orn. Specs. 1874, 40, 73, 100. 

 Pygmy .Nuthatch, California!! .Nuthatch, Vulg. 



HAB. United States from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific. North to 

 49 (Vancouver, Brown}. South in Mexico to Xalapa and Vera Cruz. 



CH. SP. 3 9 Plnmbeo-ccerulea, pileo et nnchd olivaceo-brunnels, 

 lateral-tier obsciirioribm, macula alba nuchali obsoletd ; rectricibus 

 mediis dorso concoloribus, macula magnd longitudinali alba; infra 

 sordlde alba, plus minusve rufescens^ crisso lateribusque dorso vix 

 discolor ibus. 



$ 9 : Upper parts ashy-blue, and wings with little or no markings (as in 

 canadensis), though some of the outer primaries maybe narrowly edged with 

 white. Whole top of head, nape and back of neck, with the sides of the 

 head to below the eyes, olive-brown, the lateral borders of this patch blackish, 

 andan obsolete whitish patch at the back of the neck. Central tail-feathers 

 like the back, but with a long white spot, and their outer webs black at the 

 base; other tail-feathers blackish, with white marks, and often also tipped 

 with the color of the back. Entire under parts ranging in different specimens 

 from a mere muddy white to smoky-brown or rich rusty, nearly or quite as 

 intense as in S. canademis; the flanks and crissum shaded with a duller 

 wash of the color of the back. Bill and feet dark plumbeous, the former 

 paler at base below. Iris black. Length about 4 inches, or rather less; 

 extent about 8 ; wing, 2$ ; tail, 1 ; tarsus, | ; bill about |. 



Young : Differs from the adult much as the 9 of the foregoing species 

 differs from the <?, in having the top of the head like the back; the 

 under parts are usually muddy-whitish, but there is great difference in this 

 respect. The tail-feathers have constantly shown me the characteristic 

 markings of the species. 



