The Hiftory of ANIMALS, 
S°3 
S I T T A, 
T H E beak of the Sitta is of a conic, and fomewhat cultrated, form : the tongue 
is lacerated and emarginated, and the feathers of the tail are rigid. 
Of this genu& there is but one known fpecies, and that has been ufually confounded 
jvith the pica^. 
Sitta. %f)t 
This is of the fize of our common gold-finch : the head is fmall and deprefled ; the 
beak is fhort, and is black on the upper part, and whitifh on the lower, toward the 
throat: the noftrils are round, and are ornamented about their edges with fhort rigid 
hairs. 
4 v / , - . M , 
The head, neck, and back are grey 5 the Tides under the covers of the wings are 
reddifh : the throat and the bread are of a paler yellow, with a tinge of brownifh or 
chefnut red in it; the lower part of the belly has fome red feathers, with white tips: 
there runs on each fide of the head, from the angles of the beak quite to the neck, a 
long black fpot. 
The wings are grey ; the long feathers are eighteen in each, and each wing is varie¬ 
gated on the under part with two white fpots: the tail is very fhort, and is com- 
pofed of twelve feathers, which are fome of them totally grey, others partly 
black ; there is a tranfverfe white ftreak under it, and the whole is rigid, in the man¬ 
ner of that of the wood-pecker-kind, and ferves to the fame purpofes, aflifting the 
bird in fupporting itfelf on the trunks of trees. 
It is frequent with us; it’s food is fometimes infedls, but, in defedt of them, ve¬ 
getables, as nuts and the like. All the writers on birds have defcribed it. They call 
it Picus cinereus. 
AMPELIS. 
T HE beak of the Ampelis is conic, ftraight, and convex : the upper chap is 
longer than the under, and the point is emarginated both ways: the tongue is 
crooked, cartilaginous, acute, and bifid. 
Ampelis grifea capite nigro variegato. 
The grey Ampelis , with the head variegated with black. 
3Ct)t JSotler. 
This is of the fize of the common black-bird : the head is large, and fomewhat de- 
prelTed j the beak is black: the head is of a bright brown, variegated with black ; the 
feathers toward the hinder part are longer than elfewhere: at the angles of the mouth 
there is alfo a line of white on each fide : the whole body is grey, only that toward 
the head there is fome admixture of a chefnut brown : the throat, the temples, and 
the fpace about the eyes are black : the feathers which cover the noftrils are alfo black, 
and fo are the long feathers of the wings, and thofe of the tail; the legs and feet alfo 
are of the fame colour : the long feathers on the hinder part of the head are moveable 
at the creature’s pkafure, and, when they are eredled, it appears crefted: the rib of the 
long feathers of the tail is of a reddifh hue, and their tips are yellowifh; and the long 
feathers of the wings are fome of them terminated in a very fingular manner, by a 
fine purple membrane : the covering feathers of the wings are alfo black, but the prin¬ 
cipal of them have the tips white, which occafions fome variegation. 
This 
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