Sturnus, from which he again removed it to its former 
istation : in one or other of these genera it has usually been 
placed by subsequent writers. The late Mr. Montagu, in 
the second Supplement to his Ornithological Dictionary, 
suggests the propriety of its forming a distinct genus, 
which he names Jquatilis, but does not give the characters. 
We consider its proper place w^ould be in the genus 
Sitta; in common with the other species of that genus, it 
possesses a short plump body, a strong and pointed bill, and 
a fringed tongue. 
Bill short, compressed ; mouth wide ; nostrils nearly hid 
by soft setaceous feathers; tongue laciniated, of a horny sub- 
stance; irides dark; legs blueish lead colour; toes divided 
nearly to the base; tail short. It is rather more than seven 
inches in length, about eleven in breadth, and it weighs 
nearly three ounces. The colours are alike in both sexes. 
The habits of this species have long attracted the 
attention of Naturalists, as differing from all other 
known birds. It is almost an aquatic, and usually 
builds its nest close by or over the water, from whence 
it procures the principal part of its food, and runs 
with great alacrity along the bottom or bed of a stream, 
turning over small stones or pebbles in search of food, 
which consists of aquatic insects, worms, the spawn and 
young fry of salmon, trout, and other fish. The power 
it possesses of plunging to the bottom of the water, 
and keeping a considerable time beneath the surface 
is extraordinary, its specific gravity being so much less 
