124 



NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



Family CERTHIAD.^. — Thk Creepers. 



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

 shaped, the featliers stifl'ened and acute. Rill slender, much compressed and curved. 

 Outer lateral toe nuu'h longest ; hind toe exeeeding both the middle toe and the tarsus, 

 which is scutellato auteriorly and very short. Entire basal joint oi" middle toe united to 

 the lateral. 



Cfrthin nmiricann. 



Oknus CERTHIA, Linn. 



CertlUa, Lixn.eus, Syst. Nut. od. 10th, 1758, 112. (Tyjic, C. J'timilinris.) (Set- Reicmkn- 

 iiAcu, liandbuch, I, ii, 1853, 25(5, for a monograph of the gomis.) 



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



.ill its lateral outlines deeurved. Nostrils not 

 overhung by I'eatliers, linear, with an ineum- 

 lient thickened scale, as in D-uglodyfes. No 

 rictal bristles, and the loral and frontal feathers 

 -inooth, without bristly sliafls. Tarsus scutel- 

 latt! anteriorly, shorter than middle toe, which 

 again is shorter than hind toe. All claws very 

 long, nnich curved and compressed; outer lat- 

 eral toe nnich the longer; basal joint of middle 

 loe entirely adherent to adjacent ones. Wings 

 rather pointed, about etpial to the tail, the 

 '(■athers of which arc much pointed, with 



stifTened shafts. Primaries ten; first li'.ss than half the second. Nest in holes of trees; 



eggs white, sprinkled with reddish. 



Of the Certhiadcc but one p;enu3 lie- 

 loyps to Aijierica, — C'erthia, with its one 

 •small spe iea u( con&icloi'iihle v.iiiability 

 with locality. Tiie i'hiU"a(;ter.s abovi; 

 "fiven include both iainily iiiul generic 

 characters, derived from this one jfeuus. 

 This is readily distinj,niished by the de- 

 curved, compressed bill ; absence of 

 notch and bristles; exposed linear nos- 

 trils with incumbent scales ; connate 

 middle toe, very lonj^ claws, short tarsi, 

 pointed and stiH'eiied tail-featiiers, etc. 



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

 resemble ciUih other very closely, though they appear to be distinguished by 

 such dilierences as the following: — 



The two Euroi)ean races, ('. finniiiaria and C. rosta; both dilfer from all 

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



Ctrthid americana. 



