DALMATIAN NUTHATCH. 15T 



being struck with 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 denned black band; tail feathers brown, 

 Avith 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. 

 Ital., 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 Sitta Europeans, namely, S. Urolensis, 

 Lichtenstein, S. sericea, Temminck, as I do not find 

 any specific distinction between the two forms. S. 

 Urolensis is found in the Caucasus and Siberia. By 

 Pallas it was denominated S. Europcea, var. Sibirica. 

 The only asserted difference given by authors is that 

 the flanks 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. 



