270 



SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS — PASSEBES— OSCINES. 



17. SIT'TA. (Lat. sitta, Gr. mTra, name of a Wrd. Pig. 141.) Typical Nuthatches. 

 Characters practically those given under head of the family. 



Analysis qf Species and Varieties. 



WMte below, the criSBum waslied witli rusty-brown ; cap glossy black, without stripes. 



Bin stouter, 0.18-0,20 deep at base Inner secondaries boldly variegated with black. Eastern 



carolinensis 57 

 Bill slenderer, 0.12-0.16 deep at base. Inner secondaries scarcely variegated with blackish. Western 



a£uleata 58 

 Eusty-brown below; cap glossy black with white stripes, or color of the back . . . . ocmadensis 69 



Eusty-brown or brownish-white below ; cap brown, unlike back, without stripes. 



Crown clear hair-brown ; a white spot on nape ; middle tail-feathers plain. Southeastern . pusilla 60 

 Crown dull brownish, with darker border ; little or no white on nape ; middle tail-feathers with 

 black. Southwestern . . . ... ... pygmcea 61 



Pig. 141. — European Nuthatch, Sitta cassia (resembling S, pusilla), nearly nat. size. (From Brehm.) 



57i S. carolinen'sis. (Lat. of Carolina. 



FiQ. 142. — Carolina Nuthatch, nat. size. 

 (Ad nat. del. E. C.) 



Fig. 142.) Carolina Nuthatch. White-bellied 

 Nuthatch. $, adult: Upper parts, central tail- 

 feathers, and much edging of the wings, clear ashy- 

 hlue ; whole crown, nape, and back of the neck, glossy 

 hlack. Under parts, including sides of neck and head 

 to above eyes, dull white, more or less marked on the 

 flanks and crissum with rusty-brown. Wings and their 

 coverts blackish, much edged as already said, and with 

 an oblique bar of white on the outer webs of the pri- 

 maries towards their ends; concealed bases of primaries 

 white; under wingrcoverts mostly blackish ; bold bluish 

 and black variegation of the inner secondaries. Tail, 



