176 



beginning of April, and in the highest forests of the Alps only one brood 

 is reared, and the eggs are not laid till June. 

 Measure- The scries of eggs measured by Ban and Rey may include eggs of 



ments. other forms or of the next species, and therefore cannot be altogether 

 relied upon. Bau gives the average of 63 eggs as 15.6 X 11.9 mm., 

 Max. 16.6x12.9 and Min. 14x11 mm: average weight 69 mg. Rey 

 gives the average of 100 German eggs as 15.6x12.1 mm.. Max. 16.7x12.6 

 and 16x13, Min. 14.6x11: average weight 68 mg. Abnormal eggs 

 measure 19,7 X 15.2 (weight 130 mg.) and 6.5 X 4.5 (Aveight 45 mg.) 



d. Corsican Tree Creeper, C. familiaris corsa Hart. 



C. familiaris corsa Hart. Hartert, Yog. Pal. Fauna, p. 320. 



Breeding Range: Corsica. 



Thinly distributed through the coniferous forests among the 

 mountains. A nest found by the writer on Mny 26 was placed in the 

 dead stump of a pine, and contained 5 eggs, averaging 15.9x12.5 mm.. 

 Max. 16.4x12.7, Min. 15.5x12.3. 



83. Short toed Creeper, Certhia brachydactyla Brehm.* 

 Geographical Races. 



a. Mid-European Short toed Creeper, C. brachydactyla brachydactyla Brehm. 



Egg: Baedeker, Tab. 43, fig. 3. 



Foreign Names: Holland: Boomkriiipertje. (See also under 

 C. familiaris macrodactyla.) 



Certhia brachydactyla brachydactyla Brehm. Hartert, Vog. Pal. 

 Fauna, p. 323. 



Breeding Range: Central Europe (France, the Low Countries, 

 Switzerland, Middle and AVest Germany, and Austria). 



g^jj The exact distribution of this species is still very imperfectly known, 



tinentai owiug to the coufusiou between it and C. familiaris macrodactyla. In 



urope. Q.gj.jjja^j^y j^ jg Qf j.j^j.q occurrcnce in the eastern provinces (E. and 

 W. Prussia and E. Pomerania): in the middle and south it is fairly 

 numerous and is the common Creeper in the "West, haunting usually 

 the districts wooded with deciduous trees, such as willows, alders and 

 poplars, rather than coniferous woods. All the specimens hitherto obtained 

 in Holland appear to belong to this species, and it is found also in 

 Belgium and in the great plain of France. In Switzerland it is met 



* The name should of course; be correctly "Short-clawed": there is no difference 

 in the length of the toe between this species and C. familiaris. 



