DA L ]M ATI A N N U T H A TC H . 
167 
being struck 'svitli its beauty and adaptation. The inside 
is lined with feathers, wool, and threads. It lays five 
or six eggs.” 
The eggs are larger than those of the Common Nut- 
hatch, four or five in number, slightly elongated, white, 
with pale brick-red spots, principally at the larger end. 
The male and female are alike in plumage. All the 
upper parts are of a slaty blue; the ends of the closed 
wings being rich hair brown; the throat, sides of the 
head, and chest white ; abdomen, flanks, and under tail 
coverts russet; from the angle of the jaws, through the 
eyes and ear coverts, and extending to the scapularies, 
is a distinctly defined black band; tail feathers brown, 
with their ends slightly tipped with russet. Beak and 
feet black. 
My figure is taken from a specimen shot on February 
22nd., 1858, on Mount Taygetus, and kindly sent me 
by Mr. Tristram. The egg is from Thienemann. 
The bird has also been figured by Bonaparte, Faun. 
Itah, pi. 26, f. 2, and Gould, B. of E., pi. 235. 
I do not consider it necessary to give a figure of the 
Asiatic variety of SitUi Euroj^ceus , namely, S. Uialensis , 
Lichtenstein, S. sericea, Temminck, as I do not find 
any specific distinction between the two forms. S. 
Eralensis is found in the Caucasus and Siberia. By 
Pallas it was denominated S. EuropcBci, var. Sihirica. 
The only asserted difference given by authors is that 
the ffanks are not rufous, as in the Common Nuthatch. 
This is very much the same as making two human 
beings of different species, one of whom had flaxen 
and the other red hair. 
