CREEPER. vial 
steep surfaces, aud support themselves in their progress with 
their tails, which are long and stiff, and inclined downwards.’ 
The eggs, eight or nine at the former brood, laid in April, 
and four or five at the second, are white, with a few red 
spots all over, or only at the thicker end. They are hatched 
in thirteen days, and both birds sit on them by turns. The 
young are fed with small caterpillars. ‘If the young,’ says 
Meyer, ‘are disturbed, they crawl out of the nest up the tree, 
but if they should fall to the ground, they run quickly 
amongst the grass and hide themselves, and are almost 
certain to make their escape.’ 
Male; weight, about two drachms; length, from five inches 
to five inches and a quarter; bill, long, slender, and curved 
downwards; it is compressed towards the tip, and ridged on 
the upper part, which is larger than the lower one; the latter 
is dull yellowish white, except at the tip, which, as is the 
whole of the upper one, is dusky: the space between it and 
the eye is brown ash-colour. Iris, brown; a white streak runs 
over it, and ends in a spot of the same at the side of the 
nape: from the eye backwards extends a dusky streak. Head 
on the sides, brown ash-colour, spotted with white; crown, 
dusky brown, with markings of dull white, and darker and 
lighter yellow; neck and nape, the same, the spots larger; 
chin and throat, white. Breast, silvery soiled white, yellowish 
on the sides and the lower part; back, as the neck. 
Wings; the first feather is very short, the second nearly 
half an inch shorter than the third; the third, fourth, fifth, 
and sixth nearly equal in length, the fourth rather the longest; 
greater wing coverts, dusky, white on the tips of the outer 
webs, the edges of the white yellowish; lesser wing coverts, 
dusky tipped with white; primaries, secondaries, and tertiaries, 
dusky tipped with white, more extended over the ends of the 
three last feathers; from the fourth to the fifteenth feather, 
a yellowish white band across the middle of each, which is 
straight when the wings are extended, but is in heraldic 
phrase ‘wavy’ or, rather, ‘crenellée’, when they are closed. 
Tail, reddish or brownish ash-colour, yellowish towards the 
outer edge, the shafts pale brown yellow; upper tail coverts, 
as the back, tinged with tawny rust-colour; under tail coverts, 
reddish yellow, tipped with white. Legs, toes, and claws, 
pale yellow brown, the last named with a tinge of pale red; 
they are very long and curved. 
The female nearly resembles the male. 
