107 



SITTA. NUTHATCH. 



Generic Character, 



Rostrum subulatum, tereti- 

 usculum, rectum, porrec- 

 tum, integerrimum: man- 

 dibula superiore paulo 

 longiore, apice compres- 

 so. 



Lingua emarginato-lacera. 

 Naves vibrissis tectae. 

 Pedes ambulatoriL 



Lin. Syst, Nat. 



Bill subulate, strait, strongs 

 sharp- pointed ; the upper 

 mandible rather longer 

 than the lower. 



Tongue rather short, horny 

 and jagged at the tip. 



Nostrils covered by reflected 

 bristles. 



Feet with three toes forward 

 and one backward. 



In this genus, as in that of Alcedo, only one 

 European species is hitherto known to exist. In 

 their general manners the Nuthatches resemble 

 the Woodpeckers, chiefly frequenting trees, in the 

 cavities of which they breed, and feeding on nuts^ 

 insects, berries, &c. 



