HA RD WICKE' S S CIENCE- G OS SI P. 



57 



old lichen-covered, rough-barked apple-tree with 

 tufts of moss here and there is a fine hunting-ground 

 for the little creeper. Orchards seem especially 

 favoured by this tiny bird, and any owner of one 

 may soon become acquainted with the habits of Ccr- 

 ihia familiaris, if, as I said before, he has tolerably 

 observant eyes, and by practice has learnt how to 

 use them to the best advantage. For the subject 

 of our sketch, be it remembered, is of a very shy 

 retiring disposition, and generally contrives, when 

 engaged in its search for insect-food, to keep the 

 trunk of the tree between itself and the spectator. 

 Apart from this, the brown "tints of the upper parts 

 •often accord so ex- 

 actly with the hue 

 of the bark against 

 which the bird is 

 climbing, that an 

 ordinary observer 

 might easily be ex- 

 cused for mistaking 

 the latter for some 

 excrescence of the 

 bark. Generally 

 speaking, the 

 creeper climbs with 

 its head upwards ; 

 but on one occasion 

 I saw a pair to- 

 gether in a syca- 

 more tree, hunting 

 for food, one of 

 which descended a 

 branch head down- 

 wards, but only for 

 a little distance. 

 To see a pair of 

 these birds hunting 

 for food together is 

 also a somewhat 

 uncommon occur- 

 rence, as Certhia 

 fai?iiliaris, except 

 .at certain seasons, 

 is of solitary habits. 

 The creeper is a 

 resident among us all the year and braves our oc- 

 casionally severe winters in common with that 

 fairy-like little bird, the gold-crest, the hardy little 

 tits, and so on. In March its song commences. 

 Yes ! this little bird has a song, though I have 

 •never seen the fact mentioned, as yet, in any 

 work on ornithology. Indeed one author says 

 its note amounts "to no more than an occasional 

 cheep ; " but this I must certainly deny, as I have 

 heard the bird sing many times when standing close 

 by, and am positive that the sound came from no 

 other performer. I noticed this first several years 

 back, but did not register the fact in my diary till 



about five years since. The song is a sweet though 

 rather feeble little strain, and reminds one very 

 forcibly of the song of the willow-wren {S. trochilus) 

 and also that of the bluetit {P. crntlais). When 

 musically inclined, which is only in the months of 

 March and April, the little creeper chants its simple 

 song most perseveringly. This it will repeat several 

 times when ascending the trunk of a tree, turning its 

 head aside as it proceeds and breaking out into 

 song. 



In March, too, we often see pugilistic encounters 

 in the air between creepers ; but whether this is the 

 act of pairing, or the usual rivalry between the males 



at this time, I have 

 to 



F'g^ 43- — Tree Creeper \Ccri/iia/niiiiliaris) and nest. 



not been able 

 ascertain. 



The nest of the 

 creeper is placed in 

 the hole of a tree, 

 or else in some gap- 

 ing aperture of the 

 bark outside the 

 tree. Pollard trees 

 — willow or ash — 

 are very favourite 

 nesting-places of the 

 creeper. The nest 

 is usually completed 

 at the end of April, 

 or the beginning of 

 May. It is a very 

 inartificial structure 

 composed of scraps 

 of bark, dry grass, 

 moss and twigs with 

 a lining of feathers. 

 The eggs vary in 

 number from five 

 to eight, or nine, 

 and are white, with 

 red spots, the latter 

 being generally col- 

 lected in a kind of 

 zone, or band, at 

 the blunt end of the 



egg- 

 The young creepers remain with their parents for 

 some time after they leave the nest and are diligently 

 cared for. It is very amusing to watch the various 

 ways in which young birds are fed after leaving the 

 nest. The young rook, for instance, swaying about 

 on the twig of some elm is a most greedy fellow, and 

 when his patient mother has just popped a fine fet 

 morsel into his clamorous beak, croaks louder than 

 ever for more. The little wagtail, too, running after 

 its mother on some dewy lawn is quite as difficult 

 to satisfy as the young rook. When its busy mother 

 approaches with some scrap of insect food, it is 

 amusing to see how eagerly the junior receives it in 



