Papular BfrSftnixry of ftnnnatrtr $aturr. 157 



Virtue has written a paper on this subject, 

 and on the other curious animal productions 

 of these caves j to wJiich we refer our readers. 



CREEPER. (Certhia.) A numerous ge- 

 nus of insectivorous birds, distinguished for 

 the most part by being adapted to live upon 

 the trunks and branches of trees, and to feed 

 upon the insects which infest the bark. The 

 form of the bill is, in some, long and slender ; 

 in others, short and stout, and capable of 

 penetrating very hard substances. They 

 have a long, slender, arched bill ; wings 

 long and rounded ; feet rather slender, but 

 the hinder toe is long and stout ; and the 

 tips of the tail-feathers extend beyond the 

 webs. In the splendour and variety of their 

 colours the Creepers rival the Humming- 

 birds, to which they are nearly allied in 

 some of the smaller species. These birds 

 cling by their feet to the perpendicular sur- 

 face of trees, resting upon the stiff quills of 

 their tails ; and they will even pass round 

 a horizontal branch, clinging to its under 

 surface with their backs to the ground. 



The COMMON CREEPER (.Certhia fami- 

 liaris) weighs only five drams, and next to 

 the Crested Wren is the least of the British 

 birds. The bill is hooked ; the legs slender ; 

 the toes and claws very long. It breeds in 



! hollow trees ; and lays from five to seven 

 j spotted ash-coloured eggs. The head and 

 upper part of the neck are brown, streaked 

 with black ; the coverts of the wings are 

 variegated with brown and black ; the quill- 

 feathers dusky, tipped with white, and 

 ! barred ; the breast and belly white ; and 

 the tail very long. 



The WALL CREEPER (Tichodroma mvra- 

 ria) is considered as one of the rarer Eu- 

 ropean birds, and its principal residence 

 seems to be in Italy and Spain, where it is 

 observed to frequent ruins, creeping about 

 the mutilated walls in quest of spiders and 

 other insects. Its colour is a deep bluish- 

 grey ; the wing-coverts and middle quill- 

 feathers black, those nearest the body edged 

 witli white ; the tail short and black, the 

 two exterior feathers on each side being 

 tipped with white. 



CRICKETS. (Achetida;.) A group of 

 Orthopterous insects, belonging to the gryl- 



loid family, which comprises " the crickets 

 of the hearth," the mole-crickets, and the 

 grasshoppers. The Crickets are distin- 

 guished from the other members of this 

 family by their long antennae, and by the 

 comparative smallness of their thighs. Their 

 bodies are short, thick-set, and soft, with the 

 head, corselet, and abdomen of equal length 

 and breadth : the elytra, which do not com- 

 pletely cover the belly, are curved squarely, 

 and are not roof-shaped, as in the locust 

 and grasshopper. In the winged species the 

 wings exceed the elytra, and project even 

 beyond the abdomen, in the form of a sort 

 of bifid tail. 



The Cricket's chirping noise, as it is called, 

 is produced by the friction of the bases of 



their elytra, or wing-cases, against each 

 other, these parts being curiously adapted 

 to produce this sound. There are some 

 people to whom the chirp of the DOMESTIC 

 CRICKET is not merely an agreeable sound, 

 but who regard the presence of these active 

 insects as a good omen 1 For our own part, 

 while we are ready to admit that they are 

 perfectly harmless, when, issuing from their 

 warm abodes, they skip round the hearth 

 and join in their monotonous song, we con- 

 fess that " we would much rather have their 

 room than their company." 



The FIELD CRICKET (Acheta campes- 

 tris) is much larger, and also rarer, than 

 the preceding : it is also more noisy. It is 

 of a blackish colour, with a large head in 

 proportion to the body, and full prominent 

 eyes : it frequents hot sandy districts, in 

 which it forms its burrow at the side of 

 footpaths, &c., in situations exposed to the 

 sun, to the depth of from six to twelve 

 inches ; and sits at the mouth of it, watch- 

 ing for its prey, which consists of other in- 

 sects. [See DEINACRIDA : GEYILUS : MOLE 

 CRICKET.] 



CRIMSON UNDERWING [MOTHS]. A 

 name applied by collectors to species of 

 Moths, of the genus Catocala. 



CREPIDULA. A genus of Molluscous 

 animals, inhabiting an irregularly shaped 

 shell, and often very much flattened ; the 

 inside partly covered with a plate, so as to 

 resemble a half-decked boat. There are 

 many recent species, and some fossil. The 

 inside of the Crepidula onyx is of the most 

 brilliant black, while the margin of the shell 

 is tinged with a rich brown, and the little 

 half-deck (if such it may be called) is of a 



