of the Birds of Cyprus. 577 



I invariably found this bird close to one of the streams, 

 which on Troodos are plentiful and perennial. 



9. Certhia familiaris. 



The Creepers from Cyprus are of an interesting dark race 

 which appears to agree with the subspecies, Certhia familiaris 

 harterti, from Asia Minor, described by HerrC. E. Hellmayr 

 (J. f. O. 1901, p. 189). It seems to be a constant form, as I 

 have before me a series of seventeen specimens, procured 

 from May to October, all agreeing in coloration with one 

 another. In the British Museum there are two skins from 

 Turin, one from Bordighera, and another from Switzerland, 

 which hardly differ from those from Cyprus. On the other 

 hand, this dark race is not the only form found in Asia Minor. 



As, presumably, the Creeper of Cyprus originally came 

 from the same stock as those now found in Asia Minor and 

 the south-east of Europe, it would be interesting if some one 

 who has travelled in these countries could suggest any cause, 

 such as difference in climate, vegetation, &c., which might 

 have led to the sole survival or independent evolution of the 

 darker and the non-occurrence of the lighter form in this 

 island. 



It appears to be a very suggestive fact that it is not the 

 Creeper alone that is remarkable for the darkness of its 

 coloration, but also the Cypriote Scops Owl, Jay, Crossbill, 

 Cole-Tit, and Eastern Pied Chat, all of which, with the 

 exception of the last named, have been described as peculiar 

 to Cyprus. 



Mr. Heron, of the British Museum, tells me that in the 

 butterflies of Cyprus the colours are, as a whole, richer, and 

 perhaps slightly darker, than in the typical forms, and I have 

 noticed the same thing in a moth — Zamacra flabellaria — 

 from this locality *. 



It is possible that when the whole fauna of the island 

 conies to be thoroughly worked out this dark coloration may 

 be found a characteristic feature thereof. 



It is a well-known general rule that animals inhabiting 



* See 'The Entomologist; vol .\x.wi.. .May L903, p. 107. 



