THE COMMON TEEE CEEEPEE. 



261 



a^l 



ranning about upon the ground, peering anxiously into every little hole and cranny, and 

 dragging slugs, snails, worms, and beetles from the recesses in which they are accustomed 

 to conceal themselves during the hours of daylight. 



Another very small group of the Creepers is represented by the Curved-billed 

 Creeper, a bird about the size of an English blackbird, which is found in the forests of 

 Brazil. 



It is chiefly remarkable from the curiously-formed bill, which is very long in proportion 

 to the size of the bird, and is 

 curved in a manner that can best 

 be understood by reference to the 

 engraving. The bill, although so 

 much elongated, is possessed of 

 considerable strength, and is evi- 

 dently employed for the purpose 

 of drawing the insects on which 

 the creature feeds from the crevices 

 of the bark in which they dwell. 

 As is indicated by the stiff and 

 sharply-pointed feathers of the 

 tail, the Curved-billed Creeper is 

 in the habit of traversing the 

 trunks of trees, and is able to 

 support itself in a perpendicular 

 position by hooking its long curved 

 claws into the inequalities of the 

 bark, and resting the weight of its 

 body upon the stiff tail-feathers. 

 The general colour of this bird is 

 brown, with a wash of cinnamon 

 ujjon the greater part of the sur- 

 face. The head and neck are of 

 a greyer«brown, and sjjotted with 

 white. 



"We now arrive at the true 

 Creepers, of which birds our well- 

 known English Creeper is an 

 excellent example. 



This little bird is one of the 

 prettiest and most interesting of 

 the feathered tribes that are found 

 in this country. It is a very small 

 bird, hardly so large as a sparrow, 

 and beautifully slender in shape. 

 The bni is rather long, pointed, 

 and curved, and the tail-feathers 

 are stiff and pointed at their 

 extremities. Tlie food of the 

 Creeper consists chiefly of insects, 



although the bird will sometimes vary its diet by seeds and other vegetable substances. 

 The insects on which it feeds live principally under the bark of various rough-skinned 

 trees, and when it is engaged in running after its food, it runs spirally up the trunk 

 with wonderful ease and celerity, probing every crevice with ready adroitness, its .whole 

 frame instinct with sparkling eagerness, and its little black eyes glancing with the 

 exuberance of its delight. While running on the side of the tree which is nearest 

 to the spectator, it presents a veiy curious appearance, as its dark-brown back and 



CURVED-BILLED CEEEPER.— Dcntirow!ap«ss procurms. 



