SITTELLA LEUCOCEPIIALA, Gould. 

 Fig. 1. 



Sitt. capite, guld, corporeque subtus albescentibus, hoc lineis cinereo-fuscis longitudinalibus notato ; 

 corpore supra cinerescenti-fusco ; uropygio albo ; caudd fused albo terminate; cdisfuscis; primariis, 

 secondariisque late rufo fasciatis ; crissofusco, albo variegato ; rostro aurantiaco, ad apicem f usco ; 

 pedibus flavis. 



Long. tot. 4^- unc. ; rostri, f ; alee, 2f ; cauda, 1 J ; tarsi, \. 



Head, throat, and under surface greyish white, the latter with a stripe of greyish brown down the 

 centre of each feather ; upper surface greyish brown ; rump white ; tail blackish brown, the middle 

 feathers slightly and the outer feathers largely tipped with white ; wings brown, with a broad mark of 

 rufous across the middle of the primaries and secondaries ; under tail-coverts brown, margined and 

 tipped with white ; bill orange at the base, blackish brown at the tip ; feet yellow. 



Syn. Sittella leucocephala, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, Part V., 1837. 



Habitat. Australia : locality, unknown. 



SITTELLA CHRYSOPTERA, Swains. 

 Fig. 2. 



Sitt. vertice fusco ; nucha dorsoque cinerescenti-fuscis ; plumis lined centrali nigrescente, longitudina- 

 liter notatis ; uropygio tectricibusque caudce superioribus albis ; caudd nigrescenti-fuscd, ad api- 

 cem (plumis duabus intermediis exceptis) cervind ; alis intense fuscis, primariis, secondariisque 

 nonnullis rufo fasciatis; guld, corpore subtus, crissoque cinerescenti-albis ; hoc fusco fasciato ; rostro 

 fusco, ad basin aurantiaco ; pedibus flavis. 

 Long. tot. 41 unc. ; rostri, J-J- ; oIcb, 2^ ; caudal, \ \ ; tarsi, \. 



Crown of the head dark brown ; back of the neck and back greyish brown, with a stripe of dark 

 brown down the centre of each feather ; rump and upper tail-coverts white ; tail blackish brown, all 

 but the two centre feathers tipped with buff; wings dark brown with a large oblique patch of rufous 

 across the middle of the primaries and some of the secondaries, and each feather very slightly tipped with 

 buff; throat and under surface greyish white ; under tail-coverts greyish white, crossed near their extre- 

 mity with brown ; bill orange at the base, dark brown for the remainder of its length ; feet yellow. 



Syn. Sitta chrysoptera, Lath. Gen. Syn., Supp., p. xxxii. — Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. 

 p. 296. 



Orange-winged Nuthatch, Lath. Gen. Syn., Supp. vol. ii. p. 146, pi. 227. — Shaw, Gen. Zool., 

 vol. viii. p. 126, and vol. xiv. p. 189. — Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 77, pi. lxiii. 

 Sittella chrysoptera, Swains. Nat. Hist, and Class. Birds, vol. ii. p. 317. 

 Habitat. Australia: locality, New South Wales. 



SITTELLA PILEATA, Gould. 

 Tig. 3. 



Sitt. f route, slrigd super ciliari, guld, pectore abdomineque medio albis; vertice nigro ; plumis auricu- 

 laribus, nucha, dorsoque cinerescenti-fuscis ; hujus lined saturatiore per medias plumas excurrente ; 

 uropygio albo, tectricibus caudce, crissoque, cinerescenti-fuscis, fusco alboque variegatis; caudd 

 nigra ad apicem alba ; alis nigrescenti-fuscis, notd rufd centrali; lateribus et ventre cinerescenti- 

 fuscis ; rostro a d basin flavo, ad apicem nigro ; pedibus flavis. 

 Long. tot. 4j unc. ; rostri, -J ; ala;, 3-1- ; cauda, If ; tarsi, f . 



Forehead, stripe over the eye, throat,*breast, and centre of the abdomen white ; crown of the head 

 black ; ear-coverts, back of the neck and back greyish brown, with a small stripe of dark brown down 

 the centre of each feather of the latter; rump white; upper and under tail-coverts greyish brown 

 crossed with an arrow-shaped mark of dark brown, and tipped with white ; tail black, the centre fea- 

 thers slightly and the outer ones largely tipped with white ; wings blackish brown, with a large patch 

 of rufous in the centre, interrupted by the blackish brown margins of some of the secondaries, all 

 the feathers slightly tipped with greyish brown ; flanks and vent greyish brown ; bill yellow at the 

 base, black at the tip ; feet yellow. 



Syn. Sittella pileata, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, Part V., 1837- 



Habitat. Australia: locality, Swan River. 



SITTELLA MELANOCEPHALA, Gould. 

 Fig. 4. 



Sitt. vertice, occipite, plumisque auricularibus nigris ; dorso plumisque scapularibus cinerescenti-fuscis ; 

 alis nigris, primariis secondariisque, plus minusve rufo notatis; uropygio, tectricibusque caudce 

 albis; caudd nigra ad apicem albo notatd ; crisso albo fusco fasciato ; palpebris aurantiacis ; 

 rostro ad basin cameo, ad apicem nigro ; pedibus flavis. 

 Long. tot. 4| unc; rostri, f ; aim, 3J ; caudm, If; tarsi, f. 



Crown and back of the head and ear-coverts black ; back and scapularies greyish brown, with an in- 

 distinct mark of dark brown down the centre of each feather ; wings black, with a large patch ot rich 

 rufous on the centre of the inner webs of the outer primaries, across both webs of the inner ones, and on 

 the inner and a portion of the outer webs of the secondaries, each feather very slightly tipped with 

 greyish white ; rump and upper tail-coverts white ; tail black, with a spot of white at the extremity ot 

 each feather ; throat and under surface white ; under tail-coverts white, crossed near their extremities 

 with blackish brown ; eyelids orange ; bill flesh colour at the base, black at the tip ; leet yellow. 



Syn. Sittella melanocephala, Gould in Proc of Zool. Soc, Part V., 1837. 



Habitat. Australia: locality, Swan River, on the west coast. 



Note. At present I consider these four birds to be distinct, and have characterised them accordingly : 

 but from the little knowledge we possess of the changes they undergo, it mav ultimately prove that leuco- 

 cephala and chrysoptera are different stages of one species, and pileata and melanocephala ot another. 



