The Wall Creeper 



283 



THE WALL CREEPER, OR SPIDER-CATCHER, 

 ( Tichodrom a muraria, ) 



Is larger than a house-sparrow. It has a long, slender, 

 black bill ; the head, neck, and back are of an ash-colour, 

 the front of the neck and throat being a deep black ; the 

 breast is white ; the wings a compound of lead-colour and 

 red. It is a brisk and cheerful bird, and has a pleasant 

 note. Clefts and crevices of rocks and the walls of old 

 edifices are its favourite haunts, and sometimes, but very 

 rarely, the trunks of trees. It feeds on insects, and is 

 especially fond of spiders and their eggs. The nest i$ 

 made in clefts of the most inaccessible rocks, and in the 

 crevices of ruins, at a great height. 



