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was Sitta krueperi; but now possessing two of Dr. Kriiper’s specimens, I feel confident that I 
frequently saw this little Nuthatch in the Leontes gorge. I shot them, but was unable to 
recover the specimens in that tremendous depth. But I saw them closely enough to identify the 
chestnut collar; and Mr. Cochrane took a nest in this place, which he kindly shared with me, the 
eggs of which are only half the size of those of our Common Nuthatch, and doubtless belong 
to this species.” 
Our friend Mr. H. Seebohm has lately returned from Asia Minor, where he has been 
collecting with Dr. Kriiper; and to him we are indebted for the following excellent note respect- 
ing this bird:—‘ Dr. Kritiper introduced me to the Nuthatch which bears his name during my 
visit to him in Asia Minor in June 1872. I found him residing in a charmingly picturesque 
house in the little village of Ninfi or Nymphion, five and twenty miles over the mountains east 
of Smyrna. 
‘A few miles beyond Burnabat you cross a mountain-pass into the valley of the Nymph, by 
an old road said to have been made by the great Tamerlane to bring his army down, now most 
like a deserted river-bed, traversed principally by the ass and camel, and luxuriant with oleanders, 
which were in full bloom. The valley is almost a dead flat. As far as the eye can reach are 
miles upon miles of vineyards, interspersed with olive-, mulberry-, almond-, fig-, and pomegranate- 
trees, with a few pines, with here and there a field of wheat, tobacco, Indian corn, or cotton. On 
each side of the valley is a range of lofty hills, very rocky, full of caves, apparently mountain- 
limestone, and sparingly planted here and there with pines. ‘The pines in the valley are often in 
the possession of a colony of Spanish Sparrows, and sometimes a Woodchat Shrike forsakes 
his favourite olive-tree and breeds among the Sparrows. The pines on the mountains, on the 
other hand, are the favourite resort of the Great, Blue, and Sombre Titmouse and of Kriiper’s 
Nuthatch. ; 
‘‘Krtiper’s house was built on the slope of the mountains. From his balcony we looked 
on to the roofs of the rest of the houses. Upon these red-tiled roofs we could see thirteen 
Storks’ nests, all containing young birds. 
“The day after I arrived we took a long stroll on the maintain’s side to a small pine-forest 
on a shoulder of the rocky hills. On one tree was a large nest of the Imperial Eagle tenanted 
by half-fledged birds. In a hole in a dead or dying stump a Middle Spotted Woodpecker was 
rearing her young bird; and flitting from pine to pine, like Titmice, were two pairs of Kriiper’s 
Nuthatch. We sat down on an old pine-stump and watched them through a pocket-telescope. 
The deep-chestnut ring on the breast was very distinct below the almost white throat. They 
were most active little birds, with all the habits of our Nuthatch or Creeper, and having 
apparently little affinity to the Syrian Nuthatch, which we had seen, I may almost say by scores, 
on the rocks as we ascended the hill. They seemed to be very partial to the pine-cones, running 
up and down and round them in every direction. Kriiper pointed out to me a hole in a branch 
of a pine some twenty feet from the ground, from which he had taken the nest, containing five 
eggs, a week or two before. 
“The following day we visited another clump of pines, where Kriiper knew of a nest con- 
taining one egg, and which he hoped by this time might contain more. In this we were 
disappointed. The nest was forsaken. It was at an elevation of not more than four feet, in 
