124 



NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



Family CERTHIAD^. — Tuh Ckeepers. 



Guar. Primaries! ten ; first very short ; less than half the second. Tail long, wedge- 

 shaped, the leathers stiftened and acute. Bill slender, much compressed and curved. 

 Outer lateral toe much longest ; hind toe exceeding both the middle toe and the tarsus, 

 which is scutellute anteriorly and very short. Entire basal joint of middle toe united to 

 tlie lateriiL 



Certhin nymricann. 



Oexus CERTHIA, Linn. 



Ccrthut, LissJEVs, Syst. Nat. ed. 10th, 1758, 112. {Tyye, C. familiaris.) (See Reichex- 

 UAcu, Handbuch, I, ii, 1853, 256, for a monograph of the genus.) 



Gen. Char. Plumage soft and loose. Bill as long as head, not notched, compressed ; 



all its lateral outlines decurved. Nostrils not 

 overhung by feathers, linear, with an incum- 

 bent thickened scale, as in Troglodytes. No 

 rictal bristlCvS and the loral and frontal feathers 

 smooth, without bristly shafts. Tarsus scutel- 

 late anteriorly, shorter than middle toe, which 

 again is shorter than hind toe. All claws very 

 long, much curved and compressed ; outer lat- 

 eral toe much the longer; basal joint of mi«ldle 

 toe entirely adherent to adjacent ones. Wings 

 rather pointed, about equal to the tail, the 

 leathers of which are much pointed, with 



stiffened shafts. Primaries ten; lirst less than half the second. Nest in holes of trees; 



eggs white, sprinkled with reddish. 



Of the Certhiadce but one c^eniis T)e- 

 lougs to America, — Certhia, with its one 

 small spe ies of contviderable vaiiability 

 with locality. The characters above 

 given include both family and generic 

 characters, derived from tliis one genus. 

 This is readily distinguished by the de- 

 curved, compressed bill ; absence of 

 notch and bristles; exposed linear nos- ^ 

 trils with incumbent scales ; connate 

 middle toe, very long claws, short tarsi, 

 pointed and stiffened tail-feathers, etc. 



The American and European varieties (they can scarcely be called species) 

 resemble each other very cLjsely, though they appear to be distinguished by 

 such ditl'erences as the following : — 



The two European races, C. familiaris and C. costce, both differ from all 

 the American varieties in having the crissum scarcely tinged with yellowish. 



Ctrthia amerieatuu 



