156 OBSERVATIONS ON BIRDS. 



these birds are fond of building. This nest aiforded 

 an instance of the long interval that occasionally 

 elapses with some birds between completing their 

 nest and commencing incubation;* as I had ob- 

 served it apparently in a finished state, but with- 

 out eggs, as long back as the 13th of last month. 

 To-day the old bird was sitting for the first time, 

 more than a fortnight afterwards. This nest con- 

 sisted of twigs and small sticks piled rudely toge- 

 ther, and somewhat compacted by the addition of 

 wool, mosses, and jungermannice, with a layer of 

 feathers on the top, and what appeared to be fine 

 shreds of wood probably torn from the inner surface 

 of the bark. Though tolerably firm and well matted 

 together towards the top, the nest was wholly sup- 

 ported by the bark ; so that, if this had been hastily 

 broken away, it must have inevitably fallen. The 

 eggs were six in number, and much resembling those 

 of the willow-warbler, being of a pinkish white, 

 and marked at their larger end with numerous 

 rust-coloured spots. Their weight was seventeen 

 grains each. 



The creeper has a pleasing, though somewhat 

 plaintive and monotonous song, which it utters from 

 the tops of trees early in the spring, and which might 

 be mistaken for that of some species of warbler, 

 were it not heard previous to the arrival of any of 

 our summer migrants. 



* See p. 111. 



