Mr. P. L. Sclater on the known Species q/'Sitta. 307 



volume of the 'Ibis^*), belong-ing to the Bremen Museum, I 

 have gladly acceded to our Editor's request to have a figure of 

 this very interesting species prepared by Mr. Wolf, and to write 

 a few notes on the subject. 



Herr von Pelzeln having given an excellent description of Sitta 

 krueperi in his article on the subject, in the ' Sitzungsberichte ' 

 of the Imperial Academy of Sciences of Vienna, I confine myself 

 to a diagnosis containing the more noticeable characters. 



Sitta krueperi, v. Pelzeln. (PI. VII.) 

 c? . Plumbea ; pileo postice rotundato nigro ; superciliis et gula 

 tota albis ; torque pectorali lata castanea ; abdoraine dilute 

 cinereo; crisso castaneo mixtoj rectricibus nigris, harum 

 autem duabus mediis et ceterarum apicibus plumbeis. Long, 

 tota 3'5, alae 2*8, caudse 1'5, rostri a rictu '75, tarsi 0*7 

 poll. Angl. et dec. 

 5 . Mari similis sed coloribus dilutioribus ; pileo nigro minus 

 extenso et torque pectorali non bene detinita. 



Hob. Asia Minor, prope Smyrna {Kruper). 



Mus. Vindob. et Bremensi. 



There is no known species of the genus Sitta that resembles 

 S. krueperi in colouring sufficiently nearly to be confounded 

 with it. Its distinct black cap rounded behind, its broad 

 chestnut pectoral band, and its small size separate it at once 

 from all other Old- World species of the group. In size it is 

 about equal to S.pygmcea of California and Mexico, but does not 

 otherwise resemble any one of the known American species. 



The appearance of this new and marked form so near the 

 confines of Europe as Smyrna is a fact of great interest, par- 

 ticularly when taken in connexion with the discovery of the 

 Titmouse recently described by Dr. Giinther from the same neigh- 

 bourhood {supra, p. 95) . It shows us that the fauna of Asia Minor 

 is by no means so fully worked out as has been supposed, and that 

 novelties of the most attractive character still await the researches 

 of the naturalist at a very short distance from the civilization of 

 Europe, and in a country where access is easy and travelling secure. 



The birds from which Mr. WolPs figures (Plate VII.) are 

 taken, were obtained by Dr. Kruper in the months of April and 

 June 1864, near Smyrna. 



* Ibis, 1864, p. 402. 



y3 



