TICHODROMA. 44] 
Genus TICHODROMA Illiger, 1811. 
The genus Tichodroma contains the one species, the well-known 
Wall-Creeper, which breeds throughout the higher Himalayas, 
descending lower in the winter, 
The Wall-Creeper, in addition to a complete autumn moult, has 
a partial one in the spring by which the colour of the chin and 
Aiea is changed. The sexes differ slightly from one another in 
summer. ‘The young birds resemble the adults in winter plumage 
very closely, but they have more spots on the wings and these 
rufous instead of white. They also have less crimson on the 
wing. 
Tichodroma has a very long, slender and almost straight bill, 
longer than the head, with long, narrow slits for nostrils. The 
wing is extremely large, but rounded, not pointed, the first 
primary being about half the length of the second and the second 
and third also shorter than the tip of the wing. The tail is com- 
posed of twelve soft feathers, about half as long as the wing and 
very slightly rounded. The tarsus is smooth and the hind claw 
longer than its toe. 
Fig, 87.—-Head of T. muraria. 
4, (457) Tichodroma muraria. 
Tur Wa.Lt-CREEPER, 
Certhia muraria Linn., 8. N., i, p. 184 (1766) (S. Europe). 
Tichodroma muraria. ’ Blant. & latent) p- 38 ri 
Vernacular names. Dewal Gaiyuk (Pushtu) ; Sag-gorsa-lamdong- 
pho (Lepcha) ; Swppurotsu (Chamba). 
Description. In winter plumage the forehead, crown, nape and 
‘ear-coverts are brown; a ring round the eye and a short super- 
cilium white ; lores mixed ashy and brown; hind neck, back and 
scapulars ashy grey; rump. and upper tail-coverts iron-grey ; 
lesser wing-coverts bright crimson; the outer greater cov erts and 
primary-coverts brown on the inner and dull crimson on the outer 
webs; the inner greater coverts and inner secondaries brown 
tinged with ashy; winglet brown; quills black tipped with 
Ww Hihihi: ; the outer webs of the primaries and outer secondaries, 
except the first three, with the basal halves crimson ; the first four 
primaries each with two large white spots on the inner webs ; tail 
