294 LAND BIRDS 
Breeding Range: Transition and lower Boreal zones along whole length 
of the Sierra Nevada. 
Breeding Season: June. 
Nest: Described by Mr. Barlow as under the bark of dead pines, about 
20 feet up; made of cedar bark and a few feathers. 
Eggs: 5; white, spotted and blotched with reddish brown and pale 
lavender. 
THE quaint little bird called the Sierra Creeper is a 
summer resident of the pine forests, and so_ perfectly 
does his striped brown back blend with the bark that 
he becomes practically invisible the moment he alights 
on it. His habits are so exactly like those of the brown 
creeper of the East that Mr. Chapman’s delightful de- 
scription of that bird fits him perfectly. He says: 
“The facts in the case will doubtless show that the 
patient plodding brown creeper is searching for the 
insects, eggs, and larvee which are hidden in crevices 
in the bark ; but after watching him for several minutes 
one becomes impressed with the thought that he has 
lost the only thing in the world he cared for, and that 
his one object in life is to find it. Ignoring you com- 
pletely, with scarcely a pause, he finds his way in a 
preoccupied, near-sighted manner up a tree trunk. Hav- 
ing finally reached the top of his spiral staircase, one 
might suppose he would rest long enough to survey his 
surroundings, but like a bit of loosened bark he drops 
off to the base of the nearest tree and resumes his never- 
ending task. He has no time to waste in words, but 
occasionally, without stopping in his rounds, he utters a 
few screeping squeaky notes, which are about as likely 
to attract attention as he is himself. As for song, one 
would say it was quite out of the question ; but in its 
