Brewster on the American Brown Creeper. 199 



108. Larus californicus, Lawrence. California Gull. — Upper 

 Klamath Lake, November, 1875 (McElderry). 



109. Hydrochelidon nigra (Linne"). Black Tern. — No. 56, ad., 

 spring of 1875. 



110. Colymbus torquatus, Briinn. Loon; Great Northern 

 Diver. — Hospital list (McElderry). 



111. Colymbus arcticus pacificus. Lawrence. — Pacific Black- 

 throated Diver. — Hospital list (McElderry). 



BREEDING HABITS OF THE AMERICAN BROWN CREEPER 

 (CERTHIA FAMILIARIS AMERICANA). 



BY WILLIAM BREWSTER. 



In his interesting article on the American Brown Creeper, in 

 the Bulletin for April, 1879, Dr. Brewer calls our attention to the 

 recent occurrence of several nests of that species, which were placed 

 within loose scales of semi-detached bark, at the same time stating 

 it to be his opinion that this mode of nesting is the one most com- 

 monly followed by the American bird. Some further evidence 

 tending to confirm this view of the case is offered in the following 

 number of the Bulletin by Mr. Egbert Bagg, Jr., who notes the 

 finding of a nest similarly constructed in Hamilton County, New 

 York. 



These data cast a new light upon a previously obscure subject, 

 although the fact that the American Creeper sometimes nests behind 

 the loose bark of trees is by no means a novel one. As long ago as 

 1864 Mr. Allen described* a nest so placed, which had been exam- 

 ined by him in Springfield, Mass. This account, although quoted 

 by both Samuels and Minot, seems to have been generally ignored 

 in most of our recent standard works on ornithology, nor does Dr. 

 Brewer refer to it in any way in the course of his article, although, 

 in addition to being our earliest record of the breeding of the 

 species in Massachusetts, it was apparently the first published de- 

 scription of what, it now appears, is the Creeper's characteristic 

 manner of nesting. 



Being greatly interested in the subject, I paid a good deal of 



* Proc. Essex Nest., Vol. IV, p. 68, July, 1864. 



