Family— CLIMACTERIDiE. 
Genus— CLIMACTERIS. 
Climacteris Temminck, Manuel d’Orn., 
2nd ed., Vol. I., p. lxxxv., Oct. 21st, 
1820. Type (by subsequent desig¬ 
nation) Gray, List Genera Birds, 
p. 18, 1840 .. .. .. .. Climacteris picumnus Temminck. 
Also spelt— 
Climateris Ranzani, Elem. di Zool., Vol. III., pt. III., p. 24, April 3rd, 1822. 
Neoclima Mathews, Austral Avian 
Record, Vol. I., pt. 5, p. 115, 
Dec. 24th, 1912. Type (by original 
designation) .. .. .. .. C. picumnus Temminck. 
Australian Treecreepers are superficially quite like Palsearctic Tree- 
creepers and ought to form a family Climacteridne, quite apart from the 
Certhiidae, with which they may prove to have little in common when anatomical 
investigation is undertaken. Years ago Newton pointed out that the reference 
of these Greeper-like birds to the family Certhiidse was probably incorrect. 
The tarsal covering is peculiar, consisting of two plates only, complete in 
front and behind, and therefore quite unlike the majority of Old World 
Passerine forms, which have the hinder aspect of the tarsus covered with 
two plates, hence the term bilaminate. The meaning of this peculiar covering 
is at present unknown to me, but obviously it must be of high value, and so 
I use the family name Climacteridse to emphasize this item. The members 
are small Creeper-like birds with short, thin, curved bills, long wings, long tails 
with soft feathers, and short legs and feet with long hind-toe. 
The bill is nearly as long as the head, thin and curved with the tip sharp 
but not hooked ; though slender it shov r s a little lateral compression with a 
slight but noticeable expansion basally, the edges of the upper mandible 
extending over those of the lower one; there is a short deep nasal groove, 
the nostrils strongly operculate as linear slits, the culmen not showing any 
keel; rictal and nasal bristles obsolete; the under-mandible is slightly decurved 
from the narrow feathered interramal space, the gonys a little more than half 
the length of the bill. 
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