THE BROWN CREEPER 309 



and round his tree, though sometimes he hunted in a 

 straight line up the trunk and then flew to the bottom 

 and started again at another place. He did not hop or 

 hobble about, as does the woodpecker; he was far too 

 nimble for that. 



Many of my readers may find it difficult to locate this 

 bird or at least to examine him well, because he is shy. 

 It is not so much that he avoids our presence as that he 

 does not like to be seen. He may be hunting on a tree 

 within ten feet of you and yet you never suspect his pres- 

 ence, for he will be working on the opposite side of the 

 tree, stopping each time just before coming around far 

 enough to be seen. 



As my bedroom window was only ten or fifteen feet from 

 the trunk of the willow, this was a good place from which 

 to watch this bird. He was dark brown above, showing 

 a slightly reddish shade, each feather being streaked cen- 

 trally with whitish, although this blended into the brown. 

 The rump was rufous and the under parts were almost pure 

 silky white, and there was a white streak over each eye and 

 a few whitish streaks about the ear coverts. The edges of 

 the tail feathers were wood-brown, and there was a pale 

 huffish white bar across each wing. He was about five 

 and a half inches long from the end of the long, sharp, 

 slender bill to the end of the tail. The bill was about as 

 long as the head. 



From this description you should have no trouble in 

 locating this bird and identifying him. If you see one 

 alight on a tree and quickly creep around to the other side, 

 sit down by the nearest tree or stand perfectly quiet, and 

 it will not be long till, noticing everything is still, he 

 will come around to your side of the tree, and doubtless 



