SIERRA CREEPER 75 



half inch in width. This material had been deposited behind the loosened 

 bark until it packed tightly enough to afford support for the nest proper. The 

 bark strips extended down fully a foot in the cavity, and some of theln 

 protruded thru the vertical slit which served the birds as an entrance., 



The main mass of the nest consisted of shredded weathered, inner bark strips 

 of the willow, felted finest internally, where admixed with a few small 

 down-feathers. This nest proper was 6 inches wide in the direction permitted 

 by the space, and only 1% inches across the narrow way. The nest-cavity was 

 1% by 21/4 inches, so that the sitting parent probably always occupied one position 

 diametrically. * * * 



Myself and companions examined fully 30 nests, easily discovered after we 

 once learned hew to find them, and of these I should judge the average height 

 to have been 6 feet. In other words the majority could be at least touched 

 by the hand as we stood on the ground. One nest was only 3 feet above 

 ground. 



Nests have been reported from other localities in similar situations, 

 behind loose strips of bark on cedars and pines, which are the charac- 

 teristic nesting sites of the species. Emerson A. Stoner (1938) , how- 

 ever, reports a decided departure from the usual rule. He found a 

 nest, in Solano Coimty, Calif., in "the end of a badly decayed laurel 

 stub, 4 feet high and 5 inches in diameter. * * * The nest was 

 open to the sky in the hollow tip of the decayed stub about 6 inches 

 down in the hole, the inside measurement of the cavity being ap- 

 proximately 3 inches in diameter. The nest was of fine, thread-like 

 bark strips, matted with feathers and decaying wood dust. I recog- 

 nized one of the feathers as that of a Steller Jay, and several were 

 from a Horned Owl. The nesting stub was so badly decayed that 

 it would have snapped off with very little pressure." 



Eggs. — As a rule, the eggs of all the western subspecies of the brown 

 creeper are similar in number, shape, and coloration to those of the 

 eastern race. Dr. Grinnell (1907) describes two sets of eggs, nine in 

 all, taken in the San Bernardino Mountains, as follows : "The ground- 

 color of the eggs is pure white. The markings are elongated in shape 

 lengthwise of the egg. The brightest markings are burnt sienna, the 

 tint varying from this towards vinaceous as the depth of the markings 

 in the shell substance increases. The darkest markings average 1 

 millimeter in diameter, while the vinaceous ones vary down to mere 

 points. The markings are most crowded around the large end of 

 the egg-shells, and radiate from this pole in lesser numbers towards 

 the opposite pole." 



The measurements of 40 eggs average 15.1 by 11.4 millimeters; the 

 eggs showing the four extremes measure 16.1 by 12.2, 14.7 by 12J2, 

 14.0 by 10.9, and 15.0 by 10.0 millimeters. 



Young. — Irene G. Wheelock (1904) writes: 



Only 9 [?] days are required to hatch the small eggs, and the naked nestlings 

 squirm and wriggle like so many pink mice in the cosy nest. They are slow 

 in feathering, not being fully covered until 15 days old, and even then the down 



