BRITAIN^S BIRDS AND THEIR NESTS. 291 



tree, it flies down to the foot of another, and so begins 

 again. For this method of feeding the Creeper is well 

 adapted in many ways — the strong, curved claws for loco- 

 motion ; the long, stiff tail for resting on ; and the slender 

 beak for picking out the little insects from the crevices 

 of the bark. Meanwhile the Creeper is protected from 

 its would-be enemies by its coloration. The beautifully 

 pencilled brown of the upper-parts is scarcely visible 

 against the dark tree-trunk, and the light under-parts are 

 rarely exposed to view. 



In all the wooded regions of the British Isles the Tree- 

 Creeper is a fairly common resident. To some of the 

 other parts, such as the Scottish isles, it sometimes wanders, 

 although it is nothing of a migrant. But in winter it 

 becomes sociable, and may perform local movements in 

 company with the roving bands of Tits and Goldcrests. 



The nest is usually placed in some crevice in a tree, 

 often between the tiTink and a piece of loose bark. 

 Similar situations, in old and roughly made buildings or 

 elsewhere, are also made use of. Sometimes the nest is 

 in the foundations of the nest of a Crow or Bii'd-of-Prey. 

 The nest itself is made of dry grass, twigs, moss, and the 

 like, and is lined with such materials as feathers, wool, or 

 soft, inner birch-bark. The six to nine eggs are white in 

 ground-colour, with brownish red or purple spots, often 

 aiTanged in a zone near the larger end. The female 

 incubates, and often has two broods in a season. 



The song of the Tree-Creeper is rather shrill, but a 

 faint piping forms the ordinary note. 



