The young have all the upper surface reddish brown with glossy conspicuous tawny shafts; the throat and breast tawny with lighter-coloured shafts; in other respects the colouring is similar to the adult, except that the markings of the tail are more distinct.
The eyes of the birds in New South Wales are said to be black, while those of Port Essington are red.
The Plate represents an adult and an immature bird about two-thirds of the natural size.
CLIMACTERIS SCANDENS: Temm.
J. & E. Gould del et lith. C. Hullmandel Imp.
CLIMACTERIS SCANDENS, Temm.
Brown Tree-Creeper.
Buff-winged Honey-eater, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 178.
Climacteris scandens, Temm. Pl. Col. 281. fig. 2.—Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 296.
The Brown Tree-Creeper inhabits the whole of the south-eastern portion of the Australian continent, from South Australia to New South Wales. It gives a decided preference to the open thinly-timbered forests of Eucalypti, as well as the flats studded with the apple-trees (Angophoræ), the bark of which, being rough and uneven, affords numerous retreats for various tribes of insects; its food, however, is not only sought for upon the boles and branches of the trees, but is obtained by penetrating the decayed and hollow parts; and it even dives into the small hollow spouts of the branches in search of spiders, ants, and other insects: although its form would lead to a contrary supposition, it spends much of its time on the ground, under the canopy and near the boles of the larger trees, in a similar pursuit, and also traverses the fallen trunks with a keen and scrutinizing eye. While on the ground it has a pert lively action, passing over the surface in a succession of quick shuffling hops, carrying its head erect with the feathers puffed out, almost in the form of a crest. Among the trees it assumes all the actions of the true Creeper, ascending the upright boles, and traversing with the greatest facility both the upper and under sides of the branches. It never descends with the head downwards, like the members of the genera Sitta and Sittella; still I have seen it descend an upright hole for a short distance, by hopping or shuffling backwards, as it were, generally making a spiral course.
It flies with a skimming motion of the wings, during which the brown marking of the primaries is very conspicuous.