1. CERTHIA. '623 



Kc^/ to the Genera. 



a. Tail graduated, its feathers stiff" and pointed; 



plumage always spotted and browu 1. C'ehthia, p. ;J23. 



b. Tail rounded, short and soft. 

 a'. Bill much longer than head. 



u". Hind claw much shorter than hallux; 



plumage brown with white spots .... 2. Sai-pornis*, p. 329. 

 b". Hind claw much longer than hallux; 



plumage blue-grey with red 3. Tichodroma, p. 331. 



b'. Bill shorter than head ; claws shorter than 



hallux i. CmiACTERis, p. 333. 



1. CERTHIA. Type. 



Certhia, Linnc, S;/s(. Xaf. i, p. 184 (1766J C. familiaris. 



Heads of Certhia familiaris and C. nipalensis, to show lengths and shapes of bills. 



Bill generally longer than rest of the head, curved downwards, 

 neither toothed nor notched ; culmeu keeled. Nostrils basal, lougi- 

 tudiual, operculated, exposed, without anj^ nasal or rictal bristles. 

 First primary broad, almost half the length of the second ; secon- 

 daries short ; tip of wing formed by the ;Jrd to 6th primaries. Tail 

 stiff, the feathers much pointed, generally longer than wing. Tarsus 

 anteriorly covered with transverse scales. Hallux shorter than 

 middle toe : claws very much curved, long and sharp ; that of the 

 hallux by far the longest. Sexes alike in plumage, the only colours 

 of which are a rusty brown with light spots, and white. 



Range. Asia, Europe, and North America. 



Key to the Species. 



n. Tail of the same length as the wing. 



a'. Tail with numerous distinct bars; underparts | himalayana, p. .327. 



pale creamy j tcpniura, p. 327. 



U. Tail without distinct bars : undei-parts silky Sfainiliaris, p. 323. 



white ) inexicana, p. 326. 



''. Tail decidedly longer than the wdng. 



c' . Throat and breast duU buff"; flanks much hke 



the abdomen in colour discolor, p. 328. 



d'. Throat and breast pale creamy yellowish ; 



flanks and under tail-coverts chestnut nijmlensis, p. 329. 



1. Certhia familiaris. 



Certhia far^haris, Linn. Sijst. Xat. i. p. 184 (17li('.) ; Gmel. Si/st. Xaf. i. 

 p. 469 (1788) ; Lalh. Ind. Orn. i. p. 280; Beseke, Vixjel Kurlaads, 



* Hereto belongs Hi/li/psoniis, whieli differs from Salpornis only bj having a 

 comparatively short second primary (=seveuth primary). 



T 2 



