170 
2 
the abdomen washed with pale reddish buff; flanks and under tail-coverts rufous buff where in the 
adult bird they are rich chestnut-red. 
Obs. After a careful examination of a series of specimens from different localities, from Scandinavia to 
Japan, we have come to the conclusion that Sitta europea is the species found throughout that tract. 
The Scandinavian bird, however, is more robust than the Japanese bird; and the latter is somewhat 
purer in colour, has the flanks less richly marked with rufous, and the forehead and the upper edge 
of the black facial line greyish white, in some specimens almost pure white; but this latter is, to 
some extent, present in one of the Swedish examples, and still more so in one from Moscow, which has 
the forehead and a narrow line above the eye, bordering the black line, distinctly hoary. Some speci- 
mens have the lower part of the abdomen very faintly washed with pale rufous; but nearly all of these 
are females. Those from Moscow and Lake Baikal have the underparts purer in colour than any of the 
others; and all the Japanese birds have the lower part of the abdomen very faintly washed with rufous 
buff, and the flanks are scarcely so richly coloured as in specimens from Lake Baikal and Scandinavia. 
In size they are everywhere subject to variation; the largest Scandinavian bird measures as follows :— 
wing 3°5 inches, tail 2:0, tarsus 0°8, culmen 0°85; and the smallest, wing 3:2, tail 1:8, tarsus 0°75, 
culmen 0°65: the largest Lake-Baikal bird measures, wing 3:2, tail 1°9, tarsus 0°75, culmen 0°70; and 
the smallest, wing 3:05, tail 1°75, tarsus 0°70, culmen 0°65: the largest Japanese specimen, wing 3°35, 
tail 1:90, tarsus 0°8, culmen 0°75 ; and the smallest, wing 3:1, tail 1°75, tarsus 0°70, culmen 0-70 inch. 
We refrain from giving measurements of the total length, as so much depends on the mode in which 
the skins are made up, that but little reliance can be placed on these measurements taken from dried 
skins. 
Tus, the Common Nuthatch of Northern Europe, does not occur in Great Britain, but is found 
throughout the whole of Northern Europe and Asia, extending through Siberia into Japan. In 
Scandinavia it is tolerably common as far to the north as the hazel and oak grow, but does not 
appear ever to range above the oak region. In Norway it is a resident, only undertaking short 
excursions from its breeding-haunts during the autumn and winter, returning again to breed. 
According to Mr. Collett it is usually nnmerous near Christiania, but some seasons, on the con- 
trary, itis rare. In Sweden, according to Professor Sundevall, it is found up to about 60° N. lat. ; 
and Dr. C. R. Sundstrém writes to us that this Nuthatch “is by no means rare in Central and 
Southern Sweden; but it is difficult to say how far north it is to be found. It certainly occurs 
as high as the oak grows, to about 60° N. lat. I have found it on the islands off Bohuslin and 
Sédermanland when collecting on the coast.” Dresser met with it on several occasions between 
Stockholm and Gefle, but did not see it when in Finland, where, according to M. von Wright, 
it has only occurred on two occasions—once in October 1824; and a specimen, now in the 
Museum at Helsingfors, was shot by Dr. C. Lundahl, at Tammerfors, on the 21st of November 
1853. Throughout Northern and Central Russia, we are informed by Mr. Leonida Sabandeff, 
“the Nuthatch is comparatively rare, and the Ural species (S. wralensis) is the one usually 
found. Near Moscow I observed it only during the spring migration, never in the summer 
season. It breeds, however, in the Government of Kieff, but is there rarer than the variety with 
the white belly and slender beak.” We have had an opportunity of examining specimens 
obtained by Mr. Sabanaeff, near Moscow, and in the Ural, labelled by him S. wra/ensis, and find 
them precisely identical with Scandinavian examples of Sitta europea. How far to the south- 
