124 



NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



Family CERTHIAD^. 



The Creepers. 



Guar. Primaries ten ; first very sliort ; lf.<s tliaii half the second. Tail long, wedge- 

 shaped, the leathers stiffened and acute. Bill slender, much compressed and curved. 

 Outer lateral toe much longest ; hind toe exceeding both the midflle toe and the tarsus, 

 which is scuteUate anteriorly and very short Entire basal joint of middle toe united to 

 the lateral. 



CfTthia amtrtcann. 



Oenus CERTHIA, Linn. 



Cerlhia, LlNN.El!s, Syst. Nat. ed. 10th, 1758, 112. (Ty}ie, C. fumiliaris.) (See Reichkn- 

 BACH, Handbuch, I, II, 1853, 256, for a monograph of thegeuus.) 



Gen. Char. Plumage soft and loose. Bill as long as head, not notched, compressed; 



all its lateral outlines decurved. Nostrils not 

 overhung by feathers, linear, with an incum- 

 bent thickened scale, as in Troglodytes. No 

 rictal liristles, and tlie loral and frontal feathers 

 smooth, without bristly shafts. Tarsus scutel- 

 late anteriorly, shorter than middle toe, which 

 again is shorter than hind toe. All claws very 

 long, much curved and compressed ; outer lat- 

 i-ral toe much the longer; basal joint of middle 

 toe entirely adherent to adjacent ones. Wings 

 rather pointed, about equal to the tail, the 

 !('athers of which are much pointed, with 



stiffened shafts. Primaries ten; first less than half the second. Nest in holes of trees; 



eggs white, sprinkled with reddish. 



Of tlie Certhiadce but one genus he- 

 loiif^s to America, — C'erthin, with its one 

 small species of considerable variability 

 with locality. The characters above 

 given include both family and generic 

 characters, derived from this one genus. 

 This is readily distinguished by the de- 

 curved, compressed bill ; absence of 

 notch and bristles; exposed linear nos- 

 trils with incumbent scales ; connate 

 middle toe, very long claws, short tarsi, 

 pointed and stiffened tail-feathers, etc. 



The American and European varieties (they can scarcely be called species) 

 resemble each other very closely, though they appear to be distinguished by 

 such dillerences as the following : — 



The two j:uropean races, C. familiaris and G. costce, both differ from all 

 tlie American varieties in having the crissum scarcely tinged with yellowish. 



Cirlliia ainericana. 



