GEN. CHAR. Bill subulate, acutely pointed, compressed, about as long as the head; culmen and commissure nearly straight; gonys convex and ascending; nostrils covered by a tuft of bristles directed forward. Tarsi stout, scutellate, about equal to the middle toe, much shorter than the hinder, the claw of which is half the total length. Outer lateral toe much longer than inner, and nearly equal to the middle. Tail very short, broad, and nearly even; the feathers soft and truncate. Wings reaching nearly to the end of the tail, long and acute, the first primary one third of (or less) the third, or longest. Iris brown. Nest in holes of trees. Eggs white, spotted with reddish. The North American species may be arranged as follows:— A. Crown black. S. carolinensis. Belly white; no black stripe through eye. Bill, .70 long, .17 deep. Black spots on tertials sharply defined. _Hab._ Eastern Province North America … var. _carolinensis_. Bill, .80 long, .14 deep. Black spots on tertials obsolete. _Hab._ Middle and Western Province United States, south to Cordova, Mexico … var. _aculeata_. S. canadensis. Belly brownish-rusty. A black stripe through eye. _Hab._ Whole of North America. B. Crown not black. S. pusilla. Crown light hair-brown; hind toe much longer than the middle one. _Hab._ South Atlantic and Gulf States. S. pygmæa. Crown greenish-plumbeous; hind toe about equal to middle one. _Hab._ Western and Middle Province United States, south to Xalapa. Sitta carolinensis, var. carolinensis, LATH. WHITE-BELLIED NUTHATCH. _Sitta europæa_, var. γ, _carolinensis_, GM. S. N. I, 1788, 440. _Sitta carolinensis_, LATH. Ind. Orn. I, 1790, 262; also of all other American writers.—REICHENBACH, Handbuch, Abh. II, 1853, 153, tab. dxiii, figs. 3563, 3564.—BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 374, pl. xxxiii, fig. 4; Review, 86.—MAX. Cab. Jour. VI, 1858, 106. _Sitta melanocephala_, VIEILL. Gal. I, 1834, 171, pl. clxxi. Other figures: WILSON, Am. Orn. I, pl. ii, fig. 3.—AUD. Orn. Biog. II, pl. clii.—IB. B. A. IV, pl. ccxlvii. [Illustration: PLATE VIII. 1. Sitta carolinensis, _Gm._ ♂ Pa., 59324. 2. “ “ “ ♀ 3. Salpinctes obsoletus, _Say._ Cal., 7157. 4. Catherpes mexicanus, _Sw._, _var._ Mex., 53425. 5. Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus, _Lafr._ ♂ Cal., 7149. 6. “ affinis, _Xantus._ ♂ Cape St. Lucas, 12965. 7. Sitta canadensis, _Linn._ ♂ Pa., 818. 8. “ “ “ ♀ Pa., 2073. 9. “ pusilla, _Lath._ Ga., 1925. 10. “ pygmæa, _Vig._ Cal., 3342. 11. Certhia americana, _Bon._ ♂ Pa., 827.]