BROWN CREEPER. 199 



blue ; round the upper part of the breast passes a band of blue, inter- 

 spersed with some light brown feathers ; before the eye is a small spot 

 of white, and another immediately below it; the bill is three inches 

 long, from the point to the slit of the mouth, strong, sharp pointed, 

 and black, except near the base of the lower mandible, and at the tip, 

 where it is of a horn color ; primaries, and interior webs of the seconda- 

 ries, black, spotted with white ; the interior vanes of the tail feathers 

 elegantly spotted with white on a jet black ground; lower side light 

 colored ; exterior vanes blue ; wing-coverts and secondaries marked 

 with small specks of white ; legs extremely short ; when the bird 

 perches it generally rests on the lower side of the second joint, which 

 is thereby thick and callous ; claws stout and black ; whole leg of a 

 dirty yellowish color ; above the knee bare of feathers for half an inch ; 

 the two exterior toes united together for nearly their whole length. 



The female is sprinkled all over with specks of white ; the band of 

 blue around the upper part of the breast is nearly half reddish brown ; 

 and a little below this passes a band of bright reddish bay, spreading 

 on each side under the wings. The blue and rufous feathers on the 

 breast are strong like scales. The head is also of a much darker blue 

 than the back ; and the white feathers on the chin and throat of an 

 exquisite fine glossy texture, like the most beautiful satin. 



Genus XXIX. CERTHIA. CREEPER. 

 Species I. C. FAMILIARIS. 



BROWN CREEPER. 



[Plate VIII. Fig. 1, Male.] 

 Little Brown variegated Creeper, Bartram, 289.* 



Tms bird agrees so nearly with the common European Creeper 

 {CertJiia familiaris), that I have little doubt of their being one and the 

 same species. I have examined, at different times, great numbers of 

 these birds, and have endeavored to make a correct drawing of the 

 male, that Europeans and others may judge for themselves ; and the 

 excellent artist to whom the plate was intrusted has done his part so 

 well in the engraving, as to render the figure a perfect resemblance of 

 the living original. 



* We add the following synonymes : Certhia familiaris, Linn. Si/sl. ed. 10, vol. 

 I., 118. — Gmel. Si/st. I., 469. — Lath. Ind. Orn. 280. — Le Grimpereau, Buff. Pl 

 Enl. 681. 



