580 MICHIGAN BIRD LIFE. 



Huron, September 15. 1890, and on Spectacle Reef Light, Septeml)er 16, 

 1888, September 26, 1886, September 21, 1890, and October 3, 1893. On 

 the Charity Ishmds, Saginaw J3ay, the first southward migrants were noted 

 by Norman A. Wood, on August 26, 1910. 



The species does not seem to be so abundant anywhere in Michigan as 

 in the New England states and its nest has not been found very frequently. 

 We have records of its nesting, however, in Kalamazoo county (Gibbs) ; 

 Ann Arbor (Covert) ; Oscoda county (Wood and Frothingham) ; Petersburg, 

 Monroe county (Trombley) ; Port Huron (Hazelwood) ; Marquette county 

 (Mowbray, Warren, Wyman); St. Clair county (Swales); Wayne county 

 (J. Claire Wood); Emmett county (Widmann); and Grand Rapids (Cole). 

 It has also been recorded in summer from numerous other counties, where, 

 however, neither the nest nor young have actually been seen. 



The bird is one of the most interesting of our insectivorous friends, 

 combining the habits of woodpecker, nuthatch, chickadee and warbler. 

 It is usually seen running rapidly over the trunks and larger limbs of the 

 trees, very much in the manner of the nuthatch, but occasionally stopping 

 and prying deeply into some crevice in the manner of a woodpecker. 

 At other times it may be seen following a leafy branch to its tip, traveling 

 sideways by little leaps and hops, or running rapidly like any other warbler. 



Its song, if such it can be called, is an unpretentious twitter which Seton 

 Thompson describes as "a thin twitter like a Cedar-bird in a hurry, which 

 may be suggested by the syllables ' chipiti, chipiti, chipiti, chipiti,' uttered 

 faster and faster until it becomes a mere twitter" (Birds of Manitoba, p. 

 616). Although not loud or striking this call is perfectly characteristic, 

 and when once the observer becomes familiar with it he will find the bird 

 frequently when otherwise it would be overlooked. 



The nest is placed on the ground, invariably, so far as our experience 

 goes. It seems to be characteristic of the bird to place the nest close to 

 or under some protecting shelter, sometimes a log, again the I'oot of a tree, 

 more rarely the side of a grassy bank, but most commonly of all the 

 edge of a projecting rock. Among a score of nests examined, at least 

 half were under or close to stones of varying size. The nest is sunken 

 in the ground, deeply hollowed, and sometimes partially closed over at 

 the top. It is built of various fine fibrous materials in which long hairs 

 of horse or cow are always prominent. 



The eggs are four to six, white, with reddish brown dots, thickest about 

 the larger ends, and average .67 by .57 inches. 



This species is frequently imposed upon by the Cowbird, and we have 

 seen five young Creepers and two young Cowbirds, all nearly grown, in 

 the same nest, the Creepers, however, being emaciated and hardly likely 

 to survive. 



The food is much like that of other warblers, l)ut a larger proportion 

 of it is taken from the trunks and lim})s of trees and a smaller proportion 

 from the foliage itself, while some is gathered fi'om the ground. Insects 

 in various stages form by far the greater part, but the bird also eats a 

 few berries and seeds. It seems to be particularly fond of plant-lice and 

 may often be seen gorging itself on these insects during early spring and 

 again in the fall. 



TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION. 



Adult: Upper parts streaked with black and white, black predominating; under parts 

 similarly streaked but white predominating; two white wing-bars; two outer pairs of tail 

 feathers with white spots on inner web near tip. The young male is similar, but the throat 



