SALPORNIS. 439 
Genus SALPORNIS Gray, 1847. 
The genus Salpornis contains two species, one Indian and the 
other African. It differs from Certhia in many remarkable 
respects, although bearing a great general resemblance to it. It 
has an extremely long, pointed wing, witha minute first primary, 
whilst the second primary reaches to the end of the wing. The 
foot, also, is differently shaped. 
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Fig. 85.— Foot of Salpornis. 
Salpornis has a typical Certhia’s bill, though it is longer than it 
is in most birds of that genus; the tarsus is short and the hind 
claw is much shorter than the hind toe. The tail is composed of 
12 soft, rounded feathers and is nearly square. 
The sexes are alike and the young are similar to the adult. 
There is apparently no spring moult. 
(456) Salpornis spilonotus. 
Tur Sporred-Grey CREEPER. 
Certhia spilonota Frankl., P. Z. 8., 1831, p. 121 (Ganges between 
Calcutta and Benares). 
Salpornis spilonota. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 833, 
Vernacular names. None recorded. 
Fig. 86.—Head of S. spilonotus, 
Description. Whole upper plumage, wings and tail black, spotted 
and barred with white ; forehead and crown brownish ; a broad 
white supercilium ; lores and a line through the eye unspotted 
black ; chin and throat white, the sides of the latter sometimes 
speckled with black ; lower plumage pale cinnamon-fulvous barred 
with black and with white tips to some of the feathers. 
Colours of soft parts. Iris dark brown; bill above dark blackish 
horny, below pale horny ; legs and feet dark plumbeous. 
