48 



TWENTIETH CENTURY CLASSICS 



IV.— BKOWN CEEEPEK. 



Ce7^thia familiaris ame^^icana (Bonap.). 



Winter sojourner; common in the eastern portion of 

 the State; rare westward. Leave the last of March to 

 the first of April; begin to return in October. 



Habitat. TemjDerate eastern INTorth America; west 

 to the Great Plains (represented westward in the Eocky 

 Mountain region by G. familiaris monta7ia, and on the 

 Pacific side by G. familiaris occidentalis) ; breeds from 

 the northern United States northward; winters south- 

 ward into the Gulf States. 



Iris brown; bill dark brown, with base of under flesh 

 color ; legs and feet reddish brown ; claws a shade darker. 



The natural haunts of these peculiar birds are within 

 the deep woods, but during migration are occasionally 

 met with in our shade trees, orchards, scattering trees upon 

 the prairies and that fringe the streams far out upon the 

 plains. They are not sociable birds, so far as relates to 

 their own kin, and lead a rather isolated, solitary life, 

 except during the mated season, and then are only in 

 pairs ; but they are often found associating with the Nut- 

 hatches and Titmice; not, I think, from choice, but be- 

 cause the insect life is the most abundant. In their search 

 for the eggs and larva and small forms of life hidden in the 

 interstices of the bark, they climb the trees in a jerky 

 manner, and usually spiral-like; sometimes but a short 

 distance, at others nearly to the top, flying in either case 

 and alighting at the foot of another tree, and creep up- 

 wards as before, repeating the performance, as they can- 

 not creep downward like the Nuthatches. Their feet and 



