308 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



much upon the ground among fallen leaves, and upon prostrate 

 trunks ; but in climbing they can only ascend like the Tree- 

 creepers, except sometimes by a few hops backward and obliquely 

 downward, as is also the case with the Certhia. The two follow- 

 ing genera may be included : — 



Genus Tichodroma, Illiger (Rock-creeper). 



Bill longer than the head, slender, nearly straight, but 

 incurved a little at the acute tips ; the terminal half compressed, 

 and the basal gradually widening to the gape ; culmen distinct 

 throughout. Nareal orifices sublinear, pierced in the fore part of 

 the nasal membrane. Wings long and large, reaching nearly to 

 the tip of the short tail ; the first primary half the length of the 

 second, which equals the ninth ; and the fourth, fifth, and sixth 

 being subequal and longest. Outer tail-feathers a little shorter 

 than the rest. Tarsi slender, about the length of the middle toe 

 with its claw ; the toes also slender and rather long, with com- 

 pressed tapering claws but slightly curved, that of the hind toe 

 as long as the digit. Plumage dense and puffy ; the great alars 

 remarkably broad, whence its mode of flight as below noted. 



But one species is known, which has much the aspect of a 

 feeble Nuthatch, with long and slender bill and large wings. It 

 inhabits mountain precipices, creeping about upon rocks and old 

 buildings, in the crevices of which it breeds. Mr. Vigne remarks 

 it to " display the delicate scarlet patch upon its wings, as it flits 

 over the perpendicular rocks, with the movements of a butterfly 

 rather than of a bird." These rock-frequenting habits are no 

 disproof of its affinity for the forest Creepers, since the Sitta 

 syriaca (a typically formed Nuthatch) frequents the same haunts, 

 unlike the rest of its genus. 



T. MURARiA ; Certhia muraria, L. ; T. phoenicoptera, Tem. ; 

 T. europcea, Stephens. — Delicate pale ash-grey above, the crown 

 often brownish ; throat and breast white, or whitish; abdomen 

 dark fuliginous-asliy ; anterior two-thirds of the wings crimson, 

 as are also the axillaries ; rest of the wing and tail black, the 

 great alars and middle rectrices tipped with ash)'^ ; the outermost 

 rectrices broadly tipped with white, successively decreasing on the 

 others ; and the outer primaries marked on their inner webs with 

 two white bars, the basal continued over a greater number of 

 feathers in the female, in which these additional spots are 



