43 6 



PERCHING BIRDS. 



sionally been captured in the British Isles and on Heligoland. The adult male is 

 nearly uniform brown above ; the wings and tail being conspicuously edged with 

 buff, while the chin is buffy white, and the lower-parts buffish, slightly streaked 

 with brown upon the breast. 



THE CREEPERS. 

 Family CERTHIID^E. 



The creepers bring us to a small group of birds modified to pursue their prey 

 (comprising spiders and insects) upon the surface of cliffs or the trunks of trees j 

 the best known forms being small and plain-coloured birds, typified by the common 



THE TREE-CREEPER. 



European tree-creeper (Certhia familiaris). All have the beak relatively long, 

 slender, sharp, and curving downwards ; the wings including ten primaries, and 

 the tail consisting of twelve stout and pointed feathers, which are often stiffened to 

 aid climbing. The claws are long and curved, and the metatarsus is scutellated. 



Some divergence of view obtains among ornithologists as to the limits and 

 serial position of the family. Dr. Sharpe, for instance, who places it near the 

 wagtails and pipits, would include in this family the nuthatches ; while, on the 

 other hand, Mr. Gates excludes the latter and includes the wrens within its limits, 

 placing the family between the drongos and the warblers. Employing the term in 

 the original more restricted sense, the Certhiidce are widely spread over the northern 

 regions of both the Eastern and Western Hemispheres ; several species also inhabit- 

 ing the Indian region, while others are peculiar to Australia. 



