Vol. XXII 

 1905 



J Chadbourne, Nesting Habits of the Brown Creeper. I 8 



between the two walls was. roughly, four inches. The framework 

 of the nest did not extend quite to the edge of the trunk, but 

 completely filled the center. The side walls rose in two peaks 

 several inches above the nest proper and had a sharp pitch like an 

 inverted V, the outside being almost vertical, though on the inside 

 the slope down to the nest itself was less steep. The twigs and 

 pieces of bark which formed the outside wall were laid regularly 

 like thatch, being held in place by a few cross loops of thin cedar 

 bark ; but on the inside there seemed to be no regular arrange- 

 ment. On the east there was just enough space above to allow 

 the bird to slip in sideways between the two parts of the tree 

 trunk and then back down into the hollow where the eggs were. 

 This she could do without turning ; but occasionally she entered 

 through the southwest side, or gable, and there being very 

 little space here, she usually turned somewhat before entering 

 the cleft and came down the trunk, head first, tail last, regardless 

 of ornithological rules, which are binding upon all woodpeckers, 

 creepers, and the like. While thus " standing on her head," she 

 seemed to move as surely and easily as in the more natural posi- 

 tion. 



It was several days after I saw the bird carrying nesting mate- 

 rial before I thought it was safe for me to inspect the contents of 

 the nest. On looking in no eggs were to be seen, only a mass of 

 down fluffed like a feather bed, but as, on May 22, there were 

 four open bills belonging to as many young creepers, protruding 

 from the down, it is evident that there must have been four, per- 

 haps five or six eggs in the set, although I cannot say that I ever 

 had a glimpse of any of them. The young were fed by both of 

 the birds, who, I think, seldom extended their search beyond the 

 circle of a couple of rods in width, which included only ten 

 trees, and I never saw them visit the piles of fallen tree trunks 

 and unbarked logs which were scattered throughout the clearing 

 and must have contained countless numbers of borers, judging 

 from the amount of sawdust about, and the rasping noise of the 

 larvae. Both birds fed the young, and occasionally each other as 

 well, for though it was impossible to distinguish the male from the 

 female, yet both individuals were seen feeding and also being fed. 

 Whether incubation was shared between the male and the female, 



