l8o Campbell, Tlie Family Certhiidce in Attslralia. [ist'^'April 



The Family Certhiidae in Australia. 



By a. G. Campbell, Melbourne. 



The family of birds containing the genera Cliuiacteris (Tree- 

 creepers) and Sittclla (Tree-runners) is of no small interest and 

 importance — of interest because of the birds' peculiar habits of 

 living and the modification of their structure in strict accord- 

 ance with surroundings ; of importance because of the unique 

 position they occupy as protectors of forest trees. All nature 

 is interdependent, but the co-existence of our CertJiiida; with 

 tlie eucalypts, especially of the rough-barked type, is, indeed, 

 very marked. In return for their means of subsistence, as 

 well as for friendly shelter during nesting operations, the Tree- 

 creepers and Tree-runners patrol the trunks and branches of 

 forest trees, and keep in abeyance those persistent destroyers 

 of vegetation, scales and boring insects, which ravage timber 

 trees to such an alarming extent in Australia. The Tree- 

 creepers play their part upon the trunks and large branches 

 only, and work in an upward direction or with a spiral move- 

 ment around the tree, usually commencing on each tree near 

 the base ; but the Tree-runners, much smaller birds, confine 

 their attentions mainly to the lighter branches, upon which 

 the Tree-creepers never go, and are very active, running down 

 or up, seeming able to feed with the greatest of ease head 

 downward. 



Allied to the Woodpeckers of Europe and America, these 

 birds, which are not found beyond the confines of Australia, 

 are well adapted to their work. The feet are powerful, the 

 spread from the tip of the longest front (middle) toe to that of 

 the hind toe, which is specially strong even for a Passerine bird, 

 is about one-quarter the total length of the body. The tail is 

 very short and of no apparent use except during flight. The 

 bill is down-curved in Tree-creepers and upturned in Tree- 

 runners, and the tongue of both is, like that of the true Wood- 

 pecker, provided with a sticky secretion to enable the bird to 

 secure its food. An interesting feature of the family is the light- 

 coloured patch upon the primaries of each wing — fawn, rufous, 

 or white — which serves as a recognition-mark during .flight. In 

 the genus Sittella, the members of which are small and live in 

 quick-moving flocks, much more so than in Climacleris, where 

 they live in pairs, is this recognition-mark prominent, so that the 

 mates may be easily seen and followed on the wing. The food 

 consists mainly of the eggs and young larvx of tree-destroying 

 moths and beetles, taken usually before they have had time to 

 penetrate far into the bark and timber. 



The eight species of Cliviacteris are almost uniform in size, 

 measuring about 6 inches in length ; and in the genus Sittella the 

 seven species are also uniform in size, though smaller by i^^ 



