CERTHIIRffl. — CLXXVI. 309 



Family CLXXVI. CERTHIID^E. (The Creepers.) 



Primaries 10, first less than half second. Bill slender, as long as 

 head, without notch or bristles. Tarsus scutellate, shorter than 

 middle toe. Claws all very long, curved and compressed. Wings 

 about as long as tail ; tail feathers pointed, with stiffened shafts, 

 somewhat like the tail of a wood-pecker, and similarly used for sup- 

 port. Genera 5; species about 12, widely distributed. Habits 

 similar to those of the Nuthatches, but the voice different, being 

 small and fine. (The above diagnosis applies rather to the sub- 

 family, Certhiince.) 



a. Bill decurved, about as long as head Cekthia, 526. 



526. CERTHIA Linnanis. (Lat., a creeper.) 



1007. C. familiaris L. Brown Creeper. Plumage dark 

 brown, above much barred and streaked with whitish; pale below; 

 rump clear tawny. L. 5^. W. 2f. T. 2f . X. Am. A curious 

 little bird. The E. American form (white below) is var. americana 

 (Bonap.). (Eu.) 



Family CLXXVII. PARID^E. (Tin; Xuthatches and 



Tit Mici:.) 



Primaries 10, the first short. Bill not notched nor decurved; 



loral feathers bristly ; nostrils concealed by dense tufts. Tarsus 

 scutellate ; plumage more or less lax, subject to few variations. 

 Small birds, apparently allied to the jays on the one hand and to 

 the wrens and thrushes on the other. Species 100 or more, in 

 most parts of the world ; insectivorous and usually not migratory. 



a. Bill slender, as long as head; hind toe longer than middle toe: tail much 



shorter than wing. (Sitting.) Sitta, 527. 



aa. Bill stoutish, much shorter than head; hind toe shorter than middle; tail 

 not shorter than wing. {Parince.) Parus, 528. 



527. SITTA Linnaeus, (o-t'rrn. nuthatch.) 



1008. S. carolinensis Latham. White-bellied Xuthatch. 

 "Sap-sucker." Ashy blue above, white below; crissum with 

 rusty brown ; crown and nape black, unstriped ; middle tail feathers 

 like the back, others black, blotched with white; $> with lessor no 

 black on the head. L. 51. W. Z\. T. 2. U. S., abundant 

 everywhere. An active, nimble little bird, running up and down 

 trees, and hanging in every conceivable attitude, the head down as 

 often as up. 



1009. S. canadensis L. Red-bellied Xuthatch. Ashy blue, 

 brighter than the preceding, rusty brown below; crown glossy 

 black (J), or bluish (O), bordered by white and black stripes. 

 L. ±\. W. 2|. T. 11. N. Am., chiefly X. 



