BIKD8 OF NOBTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 441 



c. Pileum and hindneck brown, the posterior median portion with a large white 

 spot; no white patch on middle rectrices.- (More southern portions of east- 

 ern United States, in coast pine belt.) .Sitta pusilla (p. 453) 



CO. Pileum and hindneck olive, the latter without large whitish median spot 

 (except in worn midsummer plumage) ; middle rectrices with basal half or 

 more of inner web white. [Sitta pygmiea.) 

 d. Smaller, with pileum and hindneck more deeply or decidedly olive, the 

 latter with whitish or buffy median spot obsolete or indistinct; back more 

 bluish gray; adult male averaging wing 64.9, tail 34.3, culmen 14.3, tarsus 

 14.9, middle toe 11.2. (Mountains of M-estern North America, from Brit- 

 ish Columbia to southern Mexico. ) Sitta pygmaea pygmsea (p. 456) 



dd. Larger, with pileum and hindneck paler or less decidedly olive, the latter 

 with whitish or pale buffy median spot well developed; back less bluish 

 gray; adult male averaging wing 66.8, tail 36.7, culmen 16.3, tarsus 16, 

 middle toe 11.5. (San Diego County, California to San Pedro Martin 

 Mts. , Lower California. ) Sitta pygmsea lenconuclia ( p. 459) 



SITTA CAROLINENSIS CAROLINENSIS Latham. 

 WHITE-BREASTED NTTTHATOH. 



Adult male. — Pileum, hindneck, and extreme upper back uniform 

 black with a bluish or bluish green gloss; a slight indication of a black 

 postocular streak; back scapulars, lesser wing-coverts, rump, and 

 upper tail-coverts uniform bluish gray (between slate-gra}' or gray 

 no. 6 and plumbeous) ; middle, greater, and primary wing-coverts and 

 alulse, black margined with bluish gray (like color of back), the tips 

 of the greater coverts sometimes whitish, forming a narrow indistinct 

 band; tertials with inner webs black (except next to shaft on second 

 and third), their outer webs bluish gray, that of the third with an 

 elongated basal patch of black, I'ounded at the posterior extremity, 

 the terminal portion (for about 6-9 mm.) and edge, nearly or quite to 

 base, bluish gray; secondaries black, edged with bluish gray; prima- 

 ries blackish slate or slate color, more narrowly edged with bluish 

 gray, these edgings becoming white or whitish on middle portion 

 of longer quills and on terminal portion of outermost; two middle 

 rectrices plain bluish gray, sometimes slightly darker terminally; 

 rest of rectrices black, crossed by a broad subterminal band of 

 white, this broader and farther from tip on exterior rectrix (where 

 involving greater portion of outer web), reaching to tip on inner web 

 of third rectrix, very narrow, terminal, and more or less grayish, 

 on fourth and fifth (sometimes obsolete on latter) ; lores, superciliary 

 region (broadly), rest of sides of head, sides of neck, and under parts 

 plain white or grayish white (faintly tinged with brownish posteri- 

 orly, especially on flanks, in winter); anal region, smaller anterior 

 and central under tail-coverts, and a large oval spot on inner webs of 

 larger lateral and terminal under tail-coverts, light chestnut, the outer 

 webs and terminal portion of inner webs of the latter chiefly, if not 

 entirely, dull white or grayish white; under wing-coverts black; under 



