24 British Birds. 



It is resident in practically ovei-y j)art of the British 

 Isles and also throughout Europe, in fact is found over the 

 whole Pala^arctic region. In spite of its specific name it 

 is not by any means a familiar bird to the field naturalist, but 

 it is always an object of interest when the opportunity to ob- 

 serve it foraging for small insects, in the pursuit of which 

 it actively climbs and runs about the trunks or branches of 

 trees . 



[The British-Creeper has been given specific distinction by 

 Ridgway as C. britannica, but it is more generally known by 

 its Linnean name. The Continental species is certainly greyer 

 and less tawny than our indigenous ppecies. — Ed.] 



To rear by hand a tiny Tree Creeper within an hour or so 

 after hatching, sounds rather a tall order, which some may con- 

 sider an impossible task to attempt; but it can be done and 

 without any difficulty. 



In order to successfully rear by hand such an atom 

 of bird life as a Tree Creeper just out of the sliell, three 

 important things are required. 



1. Natural warmth. 



2. Natural live insect food, such as the parents would 

 carry to them. 



3. Patience and plenty of it. 



How I came to attempt the hand -rearing of this species 

 when it was so young, was this way: 



In the summer of 1909, I knew of a few Tree Creepers 

 nests, which is not surprismg, as 1 had previously placed 

 in the woods properly construete:! homes for them to breed 

 and rear their young in, and nearly all were tenanted by 

 Creepers ; from some young had just flown : otlu'i' nests containing 

 e^'gs which were being incubated. Again, other of the iit^sts luul 

 young just showing pen feathers. On going to one of the 

 nests which I knew contained six eggs, and which were 

 due to hatch that day, I heard, and saw the old birds and 

 knew at once something was amiss. They were flying back- 

 wards and forwards from tree to tree close to the nest and 

 uttering a peculiar note, which may be taken as a call of 

 distress and is a certain indication of something wrong. On 

 looking into the nest, or what was left of it, I found, as T 

 expected that vermin (mice) had been at work, on the ground 



