Vol. XXII 

 1905 



Kennard and McKechnie, Brown Creeper. 189 



but at the other end of the swamp. They had never been seen 

 within 60 or 75 yards of their nest. If the nest were approached 

 they always kept quiet, and this afternoon, while it was being 

 watched for over an hour, they made no appreciable move, one of 

 them sitting in one spot for about twenty minutes, never making a 

 motion except to turn his head in watching the watcher. 



On May 8 the nest contained one egg, and the birds were up to 

 their usual tactics of feeding, apparently unconcernedly, the male 

 singing spasmodically, when no one was near the nest, or keeping 

 absolutely quiet if the nest was approached. May 11 the nest 

 contained three eggs, and the birds were again at their usual tac- 

 tics. May 15 we both visited the nest, and procured a set of 

 seven beautiful eggs, Mr. McKechnie taking several photographs 

 in spite of the fact that it was cold and rainy, and we were bare- 

 legged in icy cold water. The female was sitting as we ap- 

 proached, and only flew off upon the appearance of a human eye 

 within a few inches of her as she sat on her nest. She flitted 

 about for a few moments on the neighboring tree „L«nks until we 

 had stepped back a little way from her nest, when she quickly 

 flew to it, alighting on the trunk just beneath and then running up 

 and in under the bark, and this, in spite of the fact that Mr. 

 McKechnie was setting up his camera within fifteen feet of her. 

 We flushed her from the nest several times, and she invariably 

 returned as soon as there was an opportunity. The male hung 

 about at a distance, calling to her but never coming very near. 



On May 1, 1904, the writers watched and followed for over 

 an hour the pair of Creepers, at Canton, Mass., of which Mr. 

 McKechnie had known for several seasons, and the young of 

 which he had found the previous year. They led us away 

 from the swamp in which we had located them, feeding, singing, 

 and flitting about in such an aimless sort of fashion that we finally 

 gave up following them, thinking from their actions either that 

 they had not yet begun to lay, or else that their set of eggs was 

 as yet incomplete. Mr. McKechnie returned here on the 8th of 

 May and could find only one bird, which lead him off out of the 

 swamp and then, leaving him, flew back, not to be seen again. 

 After hunting around for two hours he concluded the female was 

 sitting and the male keeping quiet pending his departure. 



