7 
mentions that the fourth primary is marked with a buff patch in the European bird, whereas in 
the Cashmere bird this is not the case; but I find this by no means constant, as some of the 
European birds have the fourth primary marked, and others have it quite plain. The bars on 
the wings are very rufous in the Cashmere specimens, more so, as a rule, than in European 
birds; but I have one British-killed bird which has them even more rufous than either of the 
Cashmere examples. As will be seen from the table of measurements, the Japanese and Amoor 
birds have the bills much shorter than the average of western examples. 
With regard to the American Creeper, which is kept separate by Professor Baird, and 
divided into two subspecies under the names of Certhia familiaris, var. americana, and var. 
mexicana, I cannot, after a most careful and critical examination, find any specific distinction 
between either of these so-called varieties and our European bird. I have specimens from 
Washington, North California, and Jalapa, in Mexico, from Mr. Salvin’s collection, and from 
San Antonio, Texas, obtained there by myself, and can match any one of these in the minutest 
detail of coloration by some one of my European examples. _ Professor Spencer F. Baird says 
(N. Am. Birds, p. 124) that “the two European races (C. familiaris and C. coste) both differ 
from all the American varieties in having the crissum scarcely tinged with yellowish ;” but this 
statement is not borne out by my specimens, as I have European examples with the crissum 
washed with yellowish ochre, and others with it almost pure white. One from Hampstead has 
the crissum much darker coloured than in any of the American specimens before me. In 
Mr. Salvin’s collection, however, are six specimens of a Creeper from Volcan de Fuego, in 
Guatemala, obtained at an altitude of from 10,200 to 12,000 feet, which agree closely 
inter se, and differ visibly from examples from North America and Europe. The upper parts 
are much darker, the head being blackish brown, very narrowly and slightly striated with buffy 
white; the rump and upper tail-coverts are rich fox-red; and the underparts, except the chin 
and upper part of the throat, are dirty greyish white, the crissum being dull rufous-ochre. In 
general coloration it bears considerable resemblance to Certhia discolor from Darjeeling, and 
has already reached a stage of difference which nearly entitles it to specific rank; indeed it is 
far more worthy of being described as distinct than any of the other forms or races of the 
present species which have been looked on by various authors as worthy of specific rank. I 
have, however, with Mr. Salvin carefully compared these birds with my series of Creepers from 
various localities; and, in spite of the differences above named, we cannot consider it sufficiently 
distinct to bear a separate specific title. Professor Baird refers the Guatemala bird to Certhia 
mexicana, and probably had examples from Mexico which nearly resembled it. Unfortunately 
I have only examined a single Mexican specimen, which, I may add, is undistinguishable from 
North-American examples. Thanks to Lord Walden, Captain Elwes, Mr. Swinhoe, and other 
gentlemen, I have had placed at my disposal for examination a fine series of Creepers from all 
parts of the globe where this genus is represented ; and it may not be out of place to enumerate 
the different species as follows, the numbers used being those in Gray’s ‘ Hand-list’ :— 
2512. Certhia familiaris, L., the range of which is given above. 
9513. Certhia americana, Bp., and 
2514. Certhia mexicana, Reich., are both referable to C. familiaris. 
201 
