^ SITTING. 389 



blackish, the former more or less edged with blue, the latter 

 tipped with white; beneath, delicate lilac-brownish, darkest on 

 the vent and under tail- coverts, and reddish on the flanks ; chin 

 and throat white. The male, even in nestling plumage, is distin- 

 guished from the female by having a black sincipital streak. 



Bill bright coral-red; legs sienna-yellow; orbitar skin lemon- 

 yellow ; irides light straw-yellow. 



Length 5 inches ; wing 3 ; extent 8^ ; tail 1^ ; bill at front y^jj ; 

 tarsus j^ ; weight not quite ^ oz. 



This lovely little Nuthatch is found over the greater part of India 

 in suitable localities. I have found it on the Malabar coast, on 

 the summit of the Neilgherries, in Central India, in Goomsoor, 

 and also on the Himalayas. It is also found in Ceylon, Assam, 

 Burmah, and Malayana, On the Himalayas I only found it in the 

 warmer valleys, and not common. It is most abundant on the 

 Neilgherries. It is generally found in small parties of five or six, 

 active and restless, creeping round the horizontal branches of trees 

 chiefly, and seeming to prefer the under side, and frequently 

 running down the trunks of trees. It feeds on various small 

 insects and larvse, which it picks off the bark. 



The genus Sittella is Australian, and appears to approach Climac- 

 ieris in its plumage ; and there is another group found in New 

 Zealand, Acanthisitta, Laf. Gray includes in the Sittin(B two or 

 three genera of South American birds, which are usually placed in 

 the next sub-family. These are the Dendrocolaptina, or great Tree- 

 creepers, birds with very various bills, and strong feet, having 

 sharp curved claws ; and the tail having the shafts bare and stiff", 

 like those of the Woodpeckers. The Synallawince have also the 

 pointed tail, with the outer toe longer than the inner, and syndactyle ; 

 the bill moderate, slender, and pointed. They are remarkable for 

 their large nests, sometimes two or three feet in length, made of 

 sticks, and divided by a partition into two chambers, in the inner of 

 which the eggs are laid. 



The FurnarirKS, or Oven-birds, are the last sub-family ; in this 

 the outer toe is only slightly longer than the inner, and very 

 little syndactyle. They seek their food both on trees and on the 



