344 CLASS AVES. 



The Fourth Family of the Passeres, or that 



OF THE TeNUIROSTRES, 



Comprehends the rest of the birds belonging to the 

 first division ; those whose bill is slender, elongated, 

 sometimes straight, sometimes more or less bent, 

 without any neck. They are to the Conirostres 

 what the slender-beaks are to the other Dentirostres. 



The Nuthatches. (Sitta. Lin.) 



Which we shall name first, have a straight, prismatic 

 pointed bill, compressed towards the end, which they 

 make use of, like the woodpeckers, to open the bark, 

 and draw out the insects ; but their tongue is not 

 extensible ; and although they climb trees in every 

 way, they have only one posterior toe, which, indeed, 

 is very strong. They do not use their tail to sup- 

 port them, hke the woodpeckers and true climbers. 

 We have but one in France. 



The Common Nuthatch. (Sitta Europea, L.) Enl. 

 ms. I. Naum. 139. 



Bluish-ash above ; reddish underneath ; a blackish 

 band passes behind the eye. It is above the size of 

 the redthroat. 



Sitta Canadensis. Briss. Enl. 623. 2 

 Plumbeous ; head and neck above, black : beneath, 



