CERTHIA FAMILTARIS BRACHYDACTYLA 141 



Family CEETHIID.E. 



CERTHIA FAMILIARIS BRACHYDACTYLA, Brehm. 

 TEEB-CREEPEE. 



Certhia fa.milia,ris, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 184 (1766) ; Gadotu, Cat. Birds 



Brit. Mus. viii, p. 323; Malhcrhe, Cat. Beds. d'Ois. Al/j. p. 17 (1816) ; 



Loche, Expl. Sci. Alg. Ols. i, p. 292 (1867) ; Koenirj, J. f. O. 1888, p. 



170 ; id. J. f. 0. 1892, p. 374 ; Wliitaker, Ibis, 1896, p. 93. 

 Certhia brachydactyla, Brehm, Vdg. Deutscld. p. 210 (1831) ; Erlaiujer, 



J.f. 0. 1899, p 313. 



Description. — Adult male, spring, from Ghardimaou, North Tunisia. 



Above dark brown, striated with dull white, the forehead and crown only 

 very slightly so ; lower back, rump and upper tail-coverts rufous-brown ; 

 wings dark brown, barred with dull yellow and tipped with white ; the 

 tail feathers, which are very stiff and pointed, pale rufescent-brown ; super- 

 ciliaries dull white ; chin and throat pure white ; rest of underparts dusky- 

 white, becoming grey and yellowish-brown on the sides, flanks and vent. 



Iris brown ; bill dark brown ; feet pale brown. 



Total length 5 inches, wing 2-50, culmen -75, tarsus '65, hind claw -35. 



Adult female, similar to the male. 



Young birds have the plumage yellower and the bill shorter. 



The Tree-Creeper is subject to considerable variation, and has 

 been split up by ornithologists into several subspecies. The form 

 found in Tunisia, and probably throughout the whole of North-west 

 Africa, answers best to that which has been distinguished under the 

 name of C. hrachijdactyJa, Brehm, and appears to be constant in its 

 differential characters, as shown by the examination of a large series 

 of specimens from various parts of the country. The principal of 

 these characters, as compared with those of what may be taken to be 

 typical G. familiar is, Linn., seem to be the generally darker coloration 

 of its upper parts, with a less amount of white striation, particularly 

 on the forehead and crown, less pronounced superciliary stripes, the 

 more dusky colour of the underparts below the throat and breast, 

 and lastly, the rather shorter length of the hind-claw. The other 

 differential characters given by some ornithologists do not appear to 

 be constant. 



Bailiy's description of his C. cosfce (Bull. Soc. Hist. Nat. de Savoie, 



