CEHTHIAJJ.K — TIIK CUEErEKS. 125 



C. familiar is is more ashy l»eneath than any others, and C. cosfee is purest 

 white l)eneath of all. XtMiest Cfumilidris, in the American series, as rej^anls 

 tints of the ujijHir parts, are the racitic coast specimens of (\ mnrrimun, — 

 while the latter are most like the Atlantic rej^ion specimens of the same. 

 C meArana is to 1k3 compared only with the North American forms, though 

 it is the only one approaching^ /c^//?///V/ /'As' in the ashy h)wer parts. 



C. familiar IS is at once separated from the rest by having the tail shorter 

 than the wing. 



C. eoatn: is almost precisely like ilastern specimens of C. americana in 

 colors, but is absolutely pure white Ixdow, and without the distinctly yellow- 

 ish crissum of the American bird. The bill and claws, however, are consid- 

 erably longer than in Kastern americana, though their size is alnn»st ec^ualled 

 by those of Western sj^ecimens ; the colors are, however, more decidedly 

 different. 



There is never any deviation from the generic pattern of coloration ; but 

 the variation, ainony indivitliials of each form, in length of the bill and claws, 

 as well as the tail, is remarkable. 



Certhia familiaris, var. americana, P>nNAp. 



BBOWN CHEEPER. 



Certhia fuscn, Bauton, Fragments of the Natural History of Pennsylvania, 1799, 11. C(?r- 

 fhia /(i)iiiliiirLs, ViKiLL. Uis. Am. Sept. II, 1807, 70 (not the European bird); also of 

 Wilson and Aununns. — Mayxaud, Birds E. Mass. 1870, 93. Certhia nmericaiut, 

 BnXAP. ("omp. List. is:i8. — Kekii. Handb. I, IS.'ia, 'id.'^ pi. dcxv, figs. 4102, 4103. 

 — Baiuis Birds N. Am. 1858, 372; Review, 89. — Max. Cab. Jour. 1858, 105.— 

 CooiKU&SnKi.KV, P. K. R. Kep. XII, ii, 1859, 192. — Hamlin, Pr. Best. Soc. N. H. 

 1864 -6G, 80. Certhia mejicana, CooPEli, Urn. Cal. I, 1870, oS. 



^i\ Char. Bill about the^ length of tin : head. Above dark brown, with a slightly 

 rufous shade, each leather streak«'<l centrally, but not abruptly, with whitish; rump rusty. 

 Beneath almost silkv-white ; the under tail-coverts with a faint rustv tinge. A white 

 streak over the eye ; the ear-coverts streaked with whitish. Tail-feathers brown cen- 

 trally, the edges paler yellowish-brown. Wings with a transverse bar of pale reddish- 

 white across both webs. Length, r,..jO ; wing. 'i.OO ; tail, 2.90. (Xo. 827.) 



Young. (5945, Steilaeooni, W. T. ; Dr. J. S. (^o.»per.) Resembling the adult, but 

 streaks above in<listinct, and the feathers there tijiped indistinctly with blackish : the 

 rulous restricted to tin; upper tail-coverts. Breast .and juguluni with very minute blackish 

 wavings or indistinct bars. 



Hab. Whole of United States, to Red River Settlenjent. 



Specimens from the far west are purer white beneath, much as in eosto', 

 but those from the northwest coast have the white tinged with light rustv. 

 Though purer white below, these specimens are much browner above than 

 Eastern ones, — sometimes more so than in familiaris, but then there is 

 the yellowish crissum never seen in this ** species," and the proportions are 

 i^uite ditlerent. Thus it will be seen the 0. americana may always be dis- 



