NUTHATCH.
breast, bufl'-colour; the latter, cheroot on the sides, and towards
the neck, with a tinge of buff orange on the remainder; back,
light slate-colour. Wings; the first feather is very short, the second
a little longer than the seventh, but not so long as the sixth, the
third, fourth, and fifth, of nearly equal length, the fifth the longest in
the wing; greater and lesser wing coverts, light slate-colour; primaries,
dark slate-colour, white at the base, and on the centre of
the outer webs; secondaries, the same, with an indistinct slanting bar
across the wings; tertiaries, light slate-colour. Tail, excepting the two
middle feathers, winch arc light slate-colour, black at the base, grey
at the end, with a patch of white between these two colours on the
three outside feathers, lessening inwards; upper tail coverts, light
slate-colonr; under tail coverts, chesnut tipped with white; legs, toes,
and claws, light brown, the former scaled; the hind toe and claw
stronger and longer than the middle one.
The female resembles the male in plumage, 'but appears to vary,'
says Sir William .Jardine, 'in having the black on the sides of the
neck running down for a less distance, and in wanting the chesnut
on the flanks and under coverts."
A curious variety was almost white, with only a few chocolate
feathers on the breast, and here and there a dark feather intermixed
with the rest of the plumage; the legs and bill, quite white.