BROWN CREEPER. 161 



narrow, the sides sloping at the base, nearly erect in the rest of their 

 extent, the edges sharp and arched, without notch, the tip acute ; nasal 

 groove rather long, narrow, feathered ; nostrils linear-oblong, opercu- 

 late ; lower mandible with the angle rather long, narrow, and pointed, 

 the outline decurved, the sides erect and convex, the edges inclinate, 

 the tip acute. 



Head rather small, ovato-oblong ; neck short ; body slender. Feet 

 rather short, very slender ; tarsus rather shorter than the middle toe, 

 very slender, much compressed ; toes extremely compressed ; the first 

 comparatively large, longer than the middle toe, including the claws ; 

 the inner toe shorter than the outer ; claws long, slender, extremely 

 compressed, laterally grooved, acute, that of the hind toe very long. 



Plumage long, loose, very soft ; the feathers ovato-oblong, with dis- 

 imited filaments. Wings of moderate length, very broad ; the first 

 quill very short, being ten and a half twelfths shorter than the second, 

 which is four-twelfths shorter than the third, the fifth longest but 

 scarcely exceeding the fom:-th, which is one-twelfth longer than the third. 

 Tail long, graduated, of twelve moderately stiff" pointed feathers, of 

 which the lateral are eight-twelfths shorter than the middle. 



Upper mandible brownish-black, lower flesh-coloured, with the tip 

 dusky. Iris brown. Feet light reddish-brown, claws yellowish-grey. The 

 upper parts are reddish-brown, the head darker, the rump light brown- 

 ish-red ; all the feathers with a central dull whitish streak. Wings 

 deep brown, the coverts tipped, the secondary coverts barred at the 

 base with dull yellow, of which a broad band in the midst of a brown- 

 ish-black space crosses both webs of the quills, excepting the inner 

 webs of the outer four, and the outer webs of the outer three ; most of 

 the quills have also a greyish-yellow patch along the outer web toward 

 the tip, which is dull-white, the tail-feathers are yellowish-brown, with 

 shafts of the same colom:, the webs darker toward the end. A silvery 

 white band passes over the eye ; the cheeks are dark brown ; the lower 

 parts are silvery-white, the sides tinged with brown. 



Length to end of tail 5^ inches ; to end of wings 4 ; to end of claws 

 4:^ ; extent of wings 8^ ; bill along the ridge ^|, along the edge of lower 

 mandible ^ ; wing from flexure 2j\ ; tail 2i»5 ; tarsus f| ; hind toe H, 

 its claw II ; middle toe ||, its claw ^. 



VOL. V. T, 



