330 CERTHIIDJE. 



dark brown streaked with rufous, with which are intermingled 

 other streaks of black and white ; wing-coverts tipped with pale 

 fulvous ; rump and upper tail-coverts ferruginous ; tail reddish 

 brown, obsoletely barred near the tip ; wings dark brown, with a 

 pale fulvous band across all the quills, except the first four, and 

 another blackish band above and below it ; most of the quills 

 tipped white, and the later ones with a fulvous streak near the 

 end of the outer web ; a white superciliuin ; forehead, cheeks, and 

 the whole lower plumage white, the under tail-coverts tinged with 

 fulvous. 



Iris brown ; bill, legs, and feet flesh-colour (Hume Coll.}. 



Length rather more than 5; tail 2*6; wing 2'6; tarsus 55; 

 bill from gape *75. 



This species, closely allied to the English Creeper, C. familiaris, 

 may be distinguished from it by the coloration of the fourth pri- 

 mary. In C. familiaris the fourth primary is marked with fulvous 

 like the others ; in C. hodgsoni the fourth primary is unmarked, 

 and the bill is also longer. 



Distribution. Kashmir, where, according to Brooks, its discoverer, 

 this Tree-Creeper occurs sparingly in the pine-woods near the 

 snows. Biddulph and Scully met with it in Gilgit and Astor at 

 about 10,000 feet in June and July. 



Habits, fyc. Captain Cock took several nests of this bird at 

 Gulmurg and Sonaraurg in June. The eggs are very densely 

 spotted and measure about '62 by *48. 



343. Certhia nepalensis. The Nepal Tree-Creeper. 



Certhia nipalensis, Hodys., Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 81 (1845) ; 



Blyth, Cat. p. 188; Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, p. 718; Jerd. B. I. i, 



p. 381 ; Blanf. J. A. S. B. xli, pt. ii, p. 56 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. 



xliii, pt. ii, p. 157 ; Hume, S, F. v, pp. 76, 78 ; id. Cat. no. 244 ; 



Gadow, Cat. B. M. viii, p. 329. 

 Certhia mandellii, Brooks, J. A. S. B. xlii, pt. ii ; p. 256 (1873). 



Coloration. Resembles C. hodgsoni in general coloration, but is 

 blacker above ; the tail is plain brown ; cheeks, chin, throat, breast, 

 and upper abdomen white, the remaining lower plumage fulvous- 

 brown. 



Iris brown ; legs horny ; bill blackish above, white below (Blan- 

 Jordj. 



Length about 5'5 ; tail 2'7 ; wing 2*8 ; tarsus *65 ; bill from 

 gape '75. 



Distribution. Nepal, Sikhim, and Bhutan, extending into the 

 Naga Hills. Blanford found this species from 8000 to 13,000 feet 

 in the pine-woods of Northern Sikhim, associating with flocks of 

 Loplwplianes and Phylloscopi. 



Hodgson figures only C. discolor, but in his collection are speci- 

 mens also of C. nepalensis -, and both species bear the same number. 



