450 Mr. K. B. Sharpe on some new Species of Birds. 



of wine, which had to be changed twice, in a cask of suit- 

 able size. The specimen arrived in very good condition, 

 and is now stuffed and mounted. 



It belongs to a species apparently allied to Platystoma trun- 

 catum^ but differing in the width of the bands of teeth in the 

 upper jaw and palate; moreover it has the barbels much 

 shorter than any of the other known species. I propose to 

 name it 



Platystoma gigas. 



D. 1/6. A. 11. The upper jaw projects conspicuously 

 beyond the lower. The length of the head is contained thrice 

 and two thirds in the total length (without caudal). Head 

 covered with skin ; maxillary barbels much shorter than the 

 head, mandibulary barbels still shorter. The intermaxillary 

 band of teeth is rather broader than the vomerine portion of 

 the band on the palate, which has a crescentic form ; the inter- 

 maxillary and palatine bands are separated from each other by 

 a very narrow interspace. The dorsal fin commences midway 

 between the end of the snout and the origin of the adipose fin, 

 and its first ray is rather feeble ; tlie length of the adipose fin 

 equals tliat of the anal. Caudal deeply forked. Colour of a 

 uniform greyish brown, darker above than below. 



ft. in. 



Total length 6 G 



Length of head 1 6 



„ snout (from the eye) 8 



Distance between the eyes 5| 



LXVII. — Descrijytion of some neio Species of Birds in the 

 National Collectiun. By R. BoWDLEK SllAKFE, F.L.S., 

 F.Z.S., &c., Senior Assistant, Zoological Department, 

 British Museum. 



Family Paridae. 



Subfamily Sittinje. 



Sitta tephronota^ n. sp. 



tS- similis ;S. Neumayeri, sed rostro longiorc, coloribus conspicnc pal- 

 lidioribu8,ct linca nigra per oculum ducta usque ad interscapulium 

 oxtonsa distinguenda. 



The large Nuthatch from Central Asia appears to me to be 

 worthy of specific separation from the typical S. Neumayeri 

 of Europe {S. syriaen, Ehr.). In the ' Birds of Europe,' Mr. 

 Dresser and myself examined a bird from Kokand, whicli 

 differed extraordinarily in size from the typical Grecian and 



