151 



Order VI.— ANISODACTYIJ. 



Family CERTHIIDJE. (Bonaparte.) 



Genus Sitta. (Linnceus.) 



Generic Characters. — Beak straight, medium size, cylindrical, 

 conic, double edged at the point. Nostrils basal, rounded, and 

 partly hidden by hair and short feathers. Tongue short, 

 pointed, and horny. Feet with three toes in front and one 

 behind, the outer being joined at its base to the middle 

 one; the hind toe -very long, and armed with a long curved 

 claw. Wings medium size; the first quill very short, the 

 second shorter than the third or fourth, which are the longest 

 in the wing. Tail composed of twelve quills, short, flexible, 

 and square at the end. 



DALMATIAN NUTHATCH. 



Sitta Syria ca. 



Sitta Syriaca, Eiieenbeeg. Bonapaete. 



" neumayeri, Michaelles. 



" rvfescens, Gould. 



" rupestris, Temminck; Man. 3, p. 287. 



Sitelle de Syrie, Of the Feench. 



SyriscJie Spechtmeise, Of the Geemans. 



Specific Characters. — Flanks and under tail coverts russet, the 

 latter not spotted with white; tail unicolorous slaty blue, the most 

 outward feathers slightly tipped with pale russet. Length six 

 inches and two fifths; carpus to tip three inches; tarsus one inch; 

 beak eleven lines. 



