CREEPERS. 67 



thick bark that projected in such a way as to leave a protected 

 cavity behind it." * Dr. Brewer has described the eggs as 

 "nearly oval in shape, with a grayish white ground, sparingly 

 sprinkled with small, fine, red and reddish brown spots. They 

 measure .55X.43 of an inch." 



c. In eastern Massachusetts the Brown Creepers are in 

 winter common, less so, however, than in March, April, and 

 October, when migrating from south to north or vice versa ; 

 on the milder winter days they may often be seen, as in spring 

 and fall, about open woodland, near houses, and " even in vil- 

 lage streets " ; whereas during the colder weather they frequent 

 thicker and more sheltered woods. Only a very few pass the 

 summer in this State, a much larger number inhabiting the ex- 

 tensive forests of northern New England, during that season. 



Like the Titmice and Nuthatches (with whom they often as- 

 sociate, not being themselves gregarious), they are habitually 

 among trees ; but, unlike those birds, they rarely if ever de- 

 scend to the ground, and never hang with the head downwards. 

 They are constantly in pursuit of insects ; hunting for them 

 somewhat in the manner of Woodpeckers, by clinging to the 

 trunk or larger branches of the trees on which they have 

 alighted, propping themselves with their stiff tail-feathers, 

 and moving about as securely as on a flat surface. Their pro- 

 gress is generally systematic, for they usually alight near the 

 foot of the tree, and climb up toward the top ; but they are 

 often induced, perhaps by a lack of insects, to desert one tree 

 for another, before they have examined it thoroughly. More- 

 over, they often ascend in spirals, particularly on the trunks 

 of the pine, one of their favorite trees, and thus confuse the 

 observer, as they are soon lost to sight. Often, when I have 

 awaited their appearance on one side, they have flown off to a 

 neighboring tree, or, when I have run round to their side, they 

 have climbed round to mine. But they are not shy, and it is 

 not difficult, when aided by even a very little experience, to 

 " keep track " of their movements, and to watch their motions. 



d. The ordinary notes of the Brown Creepers are a feeble 

 lisp, a chip which they generally repeat when flying, and a 



* This is now known to be the usual or typical situation of the nest. W. B. 



