186 SITTA 



276. GREY-CROWNED SUTHORA. 

 SUTHORA PRJEVALSKII. 



Suthora prjewalskii, Berezovski and Bianclii, Ptitz. Gan-su. p. 67, Tab. ii. 

 fig. i. (1891) ; Dresser and Morgan, Ibis, 1899, p. 271. 



ad. Differs from S. webbiana in having the crown and nape ash-grey, 

 nasal feathers, lores, forehead, and a streak over the eyes to the nape 

 cinnamon-black ; lower back, scapulars, rump and upper tail-coverts dull 

 olive, the upper back olivaceous grey ; under parts dull greyish ; edge of 

 gape, chin, throat and upper breast cinnamon-red ; bill rose colour, the tip 

 white, the lower mandible tinged with yellow ; legs bluish grey ; iris 

 brick-red. Culmen 0'31, wing 2'16, tail 2'76, tarsus iO'75 inch. Sexes 

 alike. 



Hcib. Kaii-su. 



Frequents bamboo thickets and thin larch- woods at an 

 altitude of 8,000 to 10,000 feet, and is said to resemble Parus 

 major in habits. Nothing is known respecting its nidification. 



SITTA, Linn., 1766. 



277. NORTHERN NUTHATCH. 



SITTA EUROP^A. 



Sitta europcea, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 177 (1766) ; Dresser, iii. p. 169, 

 pi. 118 ; Gadow, Cat. B. Br. Mus. viii. p. 342. 



Spetmeise, Noddekakker, Dan. ; Spetmeise Nodvackke, Norweg. ; 

 Notvacka, Swed. ; Pdhkindnakkeli, Finn. ; Popolsen, Russ. 



ad. (Sweden). Upper parts bright slate-blue ; lores and a broad streak 

 passing through the eye to the back black, on the sides of the crown 

 slightly bordered with hoary grey ; quills slaty brown externally margined 

 with slaty blue ; central tail-feathers slate-blue ; the remainder black 

 with a broad subterminal white band ; under parts white, the flanks rich 

 chestnut-red, and the under tail-coverts margined with chestnut-red ; bill 

 blackish horn ; lower mandible whitish ; legs yellowish grey ; iris brown. 

 Culmen 0'85, wing 3 '5, tail 2*0, tarsus 0'8 inch. Sexes similar, except 

 that the female has the flanks paler, and the abdomen tinged with rufous 

 buff. 



Hob. Scandinavia and North Russia, east to the Ural, where 

 it merges into S. uralensis, a very closely allied subspecies. 



In habits it is active and lively and climbs on the trunks and 

 branches of the trees as actively as a Woodpecker searching 



