Page:The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma (Birds Vol 1).djvu/474

 428 CERTHIID.^;. Family CERTHIID.E. The intrinsic muscles of the syrinx fixed to the ends of the bronchial semi-rings; the edges of both mandibles smooth or with a simple notch on the upper one; hinder aspect of the tarsus bilaminated, the laminae entire and smooth; wing with ten primaries and tail with twelve rectrices!; tongue non-tubular; nostrils clear of the line of forehead, the space between the nostril and the edge of the mandibles less than the space between the nostril and the culmen; plumage of the young like the adult female, but paler; nostrils bare; rictal bristles absent; the wing is generally long or rather long and pointed and the tarsus is very ^hort, the feet being unusually large and strong with long powerful loes and claws. Whereas most authors have given the Certhiidce, or Tree- Creepers, a definite family by themselves, others have united them with the Troglodi/tido' or Wrens, whilst others again have united the latter with the Timaliidce or Turdida'. Undoubtedly the Wrens and the Certhiidce are A'ery closely allied, their strong feet and the entire absence of rictal bristles being the most conspicuous characters held in common. On the other hand, the longer wings of the CertJdidce together with their short tarsi seem to separate them sufficiently distinctly from the short, rounded winged Troghdytidoi with their much longer tarsi. The Certhiidce are found over a considerable portion of the world and are represented in India by three genera; of these one possesses the typical stiff, pointed tail-feathers and two have soft, rounded tail-feathers as in the Wrens. Keij to Genera. A. Tail composed of stiff, pointed feathers .... Certhia, p. 428. B. Tail composed of soft, rounded feathers. a. First primary not more than a quarter the length of the second Salpoknis, p. 439. b. First primary about half the length of the second Ticuodjioma, p. 441. Genus CEETHIA Linn., 176(3. The genus Certhia contains four Indian species which are, however, divisible into many geographical races. They are resident, in the Himalayas and higher hills of Burma, moving vertically to some extent under varying conditions of temperature. Certhia has only a single moult, in the autumn, Biddulph's opinion that C. himalcvjann had both a spring and autunni moult being undoubtedly incorrect.