173 



to Ussher it is not uncommon to find nests in holes of walls or piers, 

 and he met with one among the masses of decaying leaves in the middle 

 of an old cypress. In the New Forest it is said to have bred in a 

 Squirrel's 'drey', and Lilford believed that Rooks' nests were also utilized 

 for breeding purposes, and also records a nest in a bunch of dried herbs 

 in an outhouse ! The lower part of the crevice is usually filled with 

 birch twigs, while the actual nest is built of moss, roots, grasses, etc., 

 with fine twigs interwoven in the rim, and generally feathers, strips of 

 outer bark, or bits of wool in the lining. Other materials are sometimes 

 used: Borrer noticed one bird using the fibrous matter of asphalted felt, 

 and in another case found catkins of the Balsam poplar used as lining 

 to a nest built of the dry flower stalks of the Portugal Laiu*el. Though 

 rather apt to forsake while building or laying, the Creeper is not at all 

 a shy bird, as stated by some writers, but is quite indifferent to the presence 

 of man, breeding at times in the recesses of the woods and sometimes 

 in the immediate neighbourhood of houses and pathways, flitting back- 

 wards and forwards to the nest within a few feet of bystanders. A 

 remarkable instance of this is mentioned in the Birds of Sussex, p. 82, 

 where a nest is recorded in the hollow between the wall and the side 

 post of the door of an occupied cottage. Where suitable sites are scarce, 

 the same nesting place is sometimes used for many years. 



Usually 6 in the first brood, but sometimes 5, while 7 have occa- Eggs. 

 sionally been taken. Lilford speaks of 8, but probably the references to 

 clutches of 8 and 9 in the fourth edition of Yarrell and in Saunders' 

 Manual refer to Naumann's statement that the first clutch in Germany 

 generally consists of 8 or 9 eggs, which however is not confirmed by 

 later observers. 



They vary a good deal in appearance, some being heavily marked 

 with a zone of dark reddish brown spots at the big end, with a few grey 

 underlying markings, much resembling the eggs of the Crested Tits, 

 while others are faintly marked with a few pale red spots, generally 

 concentrated towards the big end. The shape is also very variable. 



The usual time in England is towards the end of April or the Breeding 

 early part of May for first layings. The earliest date for a full clutch 

 of which I have any note is April 10, but from about April 25 to 

 May 10 is the best time, while the eggs of the second brood, which is 

 sometimes reared, may be looked for in June. Incubation lasts for 15 

 days from the laying of the last egg (W. Evans). 



Average of 100 British eggs measured by the writer, Measme- 

 15.52 X 12.09 mm., Max. 18 X 12 and 16 X 13, Min. 14.2 x 11.7 and '°*°*'- 

 15.2 X 11.3 mm. As will be seen, there is practically no difi'erence in 



