30 Forest Birds. 
formed, and this is lined with wool and feathers. 
The size and shape of the nest vary according to the 
crevice or hole in which it is built. If made in a 
hole the nest is nearly round, and sometimes of 
considerable diameter; if built between the bark 
and trunk it takes a deep and narrow shape. 
The Tree Creeper usually rears two broods in the 
year. It lays from six to eight eggs at the first 
nesting, in the month of April, and seldom more 
than five at the second. The eggs are white, with 
a few red spots, usually confined to the thicker end, 
and they are almost identical in size and colour with 
those of the great tit (Parus major). Both of these 
industrious little birds take their turn in sitting on | 
the nest, and are equally attentive to their offspring, 
each bringing food to them incessantly throughout the 
day. Such very devoted parents are they, and such 
close sitters, that they may even be lifted off the 
nest. 
Dark brown is the predominating colour in the 
Tree Creeper, and while its head and back are 
streaked with a paler tint, the wings have several 
bars of greyish white running across them. The 
tail, which is rufous, has the quill of each feather of 
a light brown, giving it a peculiar appearance. The 
chin, throat, and belly are of a silvery white, often 
dulled by the bird’s contact with a tree. 
