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CERTUIA. 



88 



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Family CERTHIAD.^.* 



CERTHIA, LiNNJKus. 



Certhia, Linnaps, Syst. Nat. ed. 10th, 1758, 112. (Type C. familiaris.) 

 (See Reicue:.'u.ich, Handbuch, I, ii, 1853, 256, for a monograph of the genus.) 



Plumage soft :iud loose. Bill as long as head, not notched, compresled ; 

 all its lateral outlines decurved. Nostrils not ov srhung by feathers, linear, 

 with T r incumbent thickened scale, as in Troglodytes. No rictal bristles, 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 lateral toe much the 

 longer; basal joint of middle toe entirely adherent to adjacent ones. Wings 

 rather pointed, about equal to the tail, the feathers of wh'ch are much pointed 

 with stiffened shafts. Primaries ten ; 1st less than half the 2d. 



Of the Certhiadm but one genus belongs to America — Certhia, 

 with its two recognized species. The characters above given include 

 both family and generic characters, derived from this one genus. 

 This is readily distinguished by the decurved, compressed bill ; 

 absence of notch and bristles ; exposed linear nostrils with incum- 

 bent scales ; connate middle toe, very long claws, short tarsi, pointed 

 and stifiTened tail feathers, etc. 



Certhia americana. 



Certhia familiaris, Vieill. Ois. Am. Sept. II, 1807, 70 (not the European 



bird?) ; also of Wilson and Auddbox. 

 Certhia americana, Bonap. Comp. List, 1838. — Reich. Handb. I, 1853, 



265, pi. dcxv, figs. 4,102-3.— Baird, Birds N. Am, 1858, 372.— Max. 



Cab. Jour. 1858, 105.— Cooper & Suckley, P. R. R. Rep. XII, ii, 



1859, 192.— ScLATSK, Catal. 1801, 15, no. 94. 



With much additional material to that used in preparing the article 

 on this species in the Birds N. Am., I find it still difficult to make 

 the specimens from western America different from eastern. The 

 bill is perhaps longer on an average, although single eastern speci- 

 mens may be found exhiliiting the maximum condition in this respect. 

 The white of under parts appears purer, the light line over the eye 



' See Reichenbach, Handbuch der Orn. I, ii, 1853. 



