Creepers.] 



MUSEUM OF ANIMATED NATURE. 



367 



The creeper is very common in our island, and 

 appears to have a wide range through the Old 

 World : an allied species (Certhia Americana, Bona- 

 parte), till recently considered as identical with the 

 European, is found in the western and northern re- 

 l^ions of America. The creeper is a fearless little 

 bird, common in groves and orchards, where it may 

 be observed spirally running up the stems of trees 

 like a mouse, and using the sharp shafts of its tail- 

 feathers as a prop or aid in its ascent ; it is search- 

 ing for food, and if closely watched may be seen 

 probing with its slender bill the various chinks and 

 crevices of the bark, whence it extracts the lurking 

 insect. Having finished its examination of the 

 stem of one tree, the upper part of which it has 

 rapidly attained, it does not attempt to descend, but 

 flits away to the next, and clinging to the bark, 

 re-commences its scrutiny and spiral ascent. The 

 note of this bird is weak and monotonous, and is 

 frequently repeated, especially during flight from 

 tree to tree, or while stationary. This interesting 

 little bird, one of the smallest of our native feathered 

 race, breeds early in the spring ; its nest is placed 

 m the hole of some decayed tree, and is composed 

 of dried grass and fibres of bark, lined with feathers ; 

 the eggs are from seven to nine in number, ash- 

 coloured with dusky spots. The creeper has the 

 shafts of the tail-feathers prolonged and stifl"; and 

 this character is still more developed in the Ameri- 

 can genus Dendrocolaptes, but is lost in the genus 

 Tichodroraa. 



1628.— The Wall-Creeper 



(Tichodroma phcmicoptera, Temm.) T. muraria, 

 Bonap. ; Certhia muraria, Linn. ; Grimpereau de 

 muraille, and Pic de muraille, Ternier, and Esche- 

 lette of the French ; Picchio muraiolo and Picchio 

 di muro of the Italians ; Mauer Baum-laufer of the 

 Germans. 



This elegant bird is a native of the mountain dis- 

 tricts of middle and southern Europe, but is not 

 indigenous in our island. It frequents the bold 

 precipitous rocks of the Alps, the Apennines, and 

 Pyrenees; and, according to the Prince of Canino, 

 it may sometimes be seen creeping on the walls of 

 St. Peter's at Rome : the hoary ruins of castles and 

 other buildings which top the frowning heights of 

 alpine scenery are attractive localities ; there it flits 

 from crag to crag, from crevice to crevice, not 

 creeping mouse like, as does our little certhia, up 

 the bark of trees, but taking short flights from point 

 to point ; assiduous in quest of insects, and espe- 

 cially spiders and their eggs, which are stated to be 

 a favourite food. From the difference in habits 

 between this bird and our creeper we can at once 

 account for the absence of stifl' springy shafts in the 

 feathers of the tail. This bird is rather a dinger 

 than a climber; it flits from projection to projec- 

 tion, securing itself by its claws, which are remark- 

 ably large and powerful ; Temminck says that what 

 the creeper does on trees, this bird does against the 

 precipitous faces of rocks, where it firmly fixes 

 itself, but without mounting or descending by creep- 

 ing. 



The wall-creeper breeds in the cliffs of inac- 

 cessible rocks, or in the crevices of ruins which 

 beetle above the tremendous precipice. 



The general colour of this bird is delicate grey ; 

 the shoulders and larger wing-coverts being lively 

 crimson, as are also the inner edges of the secondary 

 quill-feathers ; the rest of the quill-feathers are 

 black, as is the tail, which is marked at the ex- 

 tremity with white. In the male the throat during 

 the sprmg acquires a deep black colour, lost at the 

 autumnal moult. The beak is long, gently arched, 

 and pointed ; the wings are rounded. Length six 

 inches and a half, 



1629. — The Curve-billed Creeper 

 (^ Dendrocolaptes prucurvus, Temm.) This bird, as 

 the character of the claws and the stiff pointed shalts 

 of the tail-feathers sufficiently indicate, is a decided 

 climber. It is a native of the forests of Brazil. 

 The bill is about an inch and three-quarters long, 

 rather strong, and considerably curved ; the claws 

 are hooked and channelled ; the tongue is short and 

 cartilaginous. In size this creeper equals a common 

 blackbird. The general colour is cinnamon-brown, 

 with a tinge of grey about the head, which, as well 

 as the neck, is spotted with white. Of its habits we 

 have no explicit details. It now forms the type of 

 the genus Xiphorhynchus. 



1630, 1631.— The Nuthatch 

 (Sitla Europaea). This is in all probability the 

 Sitte (SiVt-i)) of the Greeks, and Sitta of the Latins. 

 It is the Ziolo, Picchio grigio, Raparino, and 

 Picchio formicajo of the Italians; Muratore of 

 Savi ; Torchepot and Pic-ma<;on of the French ; 

 Kleiber and Blauspecht of the Germans ; Notwacka 

 and Notpackaof the Swedes; Spoett-meise of the 

 Danes ; Nat-Bake of Brunnich ; Klener, Nusszhacker, 

 of Kramer ; and Delor y cnau of the ancient British. 



The genus Sitta is characterised as follows : — Bill 

 straight, cylindrical, slightly compressed, subulated, 

 acuminated. Tongue short, horny, and armed at 

 the point. Nostrils basal and rounded, partly 

 hidden by reflected bristles. Feet with three toes 

 before and one behind, the outer toe being joined 

 at its base to the middle ; one hind toe of the same 

 length as or longer than the middle one, with a long 

 and hooked claw. Tail of twelve feathers. Wings 

 rather short ; the first quill very short, the third and 

 fourth the longest. (Gould.) 



The nuthaich is found throughout Europe gene- 

 rally, and in the central wooded countries it is 

 tolerably abundant ; it inhabits many parts of our 

 island, but, according to Selby, is not seen farther 

 north than the banks of the Wear and Tyne : Mon- 

 tagu observes that it is not to be met with in 

 Cornwall. In a note in his paper ' On the Birds of 

 Ireland,' Mr. Thompson says that "this species is 

 not known ever to have visited the island." (' Ann. 

 and Mag. Nat. Hist.,' March, 1842, p. 501.) 



The habits of the nuthatch are partly those of the 

 creeper, and partly of the woodpeckers, yet differing 

 in several particulars. The tail affords no support 

 to this bird, yet it climbs well, not only ascending 

 and winding round the trunks of trees, but descending 

 with the utmost facility head foremost, which neither 

 the creeper nor the woodpecker attempts ; and on 

 flying from tree to tree, it usually alights with the 

 head downwards, and in that position works at the 

 shell of the nut it is endeavouring to break. We had 

 once an opportunity of observing a small colony of 

 these interesting birds, in a limited wood (if it 

 deserved the name) of very old trees, near Maccles- 

 field in Cheshire ; the underwood consisted of wild 

 raspberries and hazel. These birds were constantly 

 in motion, flying from tree to tree, and travelling 

 round the thick tjranches, or about the gnarled and 

 prominent bark surrounding holes formed by decay, 

 ever and anon uttering a clear whistling note ; we 

 observed them take insects, and search for them in 

 the fissures of the bark ; but neither saw nor heard 

 them hammering at nuts, for these, the season being 

 'spring or the early part of summer, were not 

 matured. Nuts, however, form a portion of their 

 diet, and the strokes made by the bird while en- 

 deavouring to extract the kernel may be heard at 

 a considerrble distance. It fixes them in some 

 chink or cleft, and splits the shell wiih repeated 

 blows. Mr. Selby says that " in autumn many of 

 these broken nul-shells may be seen in the open 

 bark of old trees, in places where these birds abound, 

 as they return repeatedly to the same spot for this 

 purpose." 



The nuthatch breeds in the holes of time-worn 

 trees, and occasionally selects the deserted habita- 

 tion of a woodpecker. According to Colonel Mon- 

 tagu and other observers, if the hole be too large, 

 the bird plasters up a part with mud, so as to 

 reduce the aperture to the needful size, thus pre- 

 venting the intrusion of larger birds, or perhaps, as 

 a writer has suggested, forming a sort of guard, so 

 as to hinder the impatient nestlings from falling 

 out, and being killed on the spot. This habit of 

 plastering is alluded to in one of the French names 

 for the nuthatch, viz., Pic-ma9on. The female 

 makes a nest of a few dry leaves, and lays from 

 five to seven eggs of a grey white, spotted with 

 reddish brown ; she defends her young charge with 

 determined courage, hissing, and striking violently 

 with her bill. 



The nuthatch is a bold bird, of almost untameable 

 disposition, and will not endure confinement. An 

 instance of its perseverance and spirit is recorded in 

 the ' Magazine of Natural History :" — One of these 

 birds, which had been winged by a sportsman, was 

 put into a small cage, made of oak and wire. During 

 a night and day he never ceased from his eft'orts to 

 escape, except to devour food, which he did vora- 

 ciously, regarding those about with fearless famili- 

 arity. No sooner was his meal finished than he 

 recommenced his hammering, which is described as 

 having been peculiarly laborious, for he did not 

 peck as other birds do, but taking a firm grasp with 

 his great feet, he turned upon them as upon a pivot, 

 striking with his whole weight, and thus assuming 

 with his body the appearance of the head of a 

 hammer in motion. This unfortunate bird sank at 

 the close of the second day under the combined 

 effects of his vexation, assiduity, and voracity. The 

 Rev. T. L. Bree mentions one which he caught in a 

 common brick trap : when the bird was found, the 

 bill appeared to be truncated, and he inferred that 

 it hacl been fairly ground down to about two-thirds 

 of its original length by the pecking of the bird at 

 the bricks in its eft'orts to escape. 



The plumage of the nuthatch above is of a fine 

 blue grey. The quills and base of tail-feathers, 

 except the two middle ones, black, the outer tail- 

 feather on each side with a black spot near the tip. 

 A black band passes from the bill through the eye 

 down the sides of the neck, ending abruptly near 

 the shoulders ; throat whitish ; rest of plumage 



below rufous brown blending into chestnut on the 

 flanks: bill and feet black ; iris hazel. Sexes alike. 



1632.— The Oven-Bied 



(^Fumarius rufus). The genus Furnarius includes 

 several species, which have a doubtful place among 

 the Certhiadae. Mr. Darwin, in his notice of the 

 ' Birds of Bahia Blanca,' says with respect to the 

 genus in question, that " it contains several species, 

 small birds living on the ground, and inhabiting 

 open dry countries. In structure they cannot be 

 compared to any European form ; ornithologists 

 have generally included them among the creepers, 

 although opposed to that family in every habit. 

 The best known species is the common Oven-bird 

 of La Plata, the Casara or House-maker of the 

 Spaniards, and Furnarius rufus of Vieillot. The 

 nest, whence it takes its name, is placed in the most 

 exposed situations, as the top of a post, a bare rock, 

 or a cactus : it is composed of mud and bits of straw, 

 and has strong thick walls ; in shape it precisely 

 resembles an oven or depressed bee-hive ; the 

 opening is large and arched and directly in front ; 

 within the nest there is a partition which reaches 

 nearly to the roof, thus forming a passage or ante- 

 chamber to the true nest." Mr. Darwin notices 

 another species of Furnarius called Casarita, or 

 Little House-builder, which constructs its nest at 

 the bottom of a narrow cylindrical hole, which is 

 said to extend horizontally underground to the 

 extent of six feet, and which the bird itself exca- 

 vates in low banks of firm sandy soil by the side of 

 a road or stream. Another species, the Furnarius 

 fuliginosus of Lesson, is described as living upon the 

 beach of the Malouine Islands, and as being very 

 fearless. Pernetty says, " This bird is so tame that 

 it will almost fly upon the finger ; in less than half 

 an hour I killed ten with a small switch, and almost 

 without changing my position. It scratches in the 

 seaweed which the waves throw on the beach, feed- 

 ing on worms and small shrimps. ... Its flight 

 is short : its habits are solitary." 



Mr. Darwin observed a small dusky Furnarius 

 distinct from the last, common in Chonos Archi- 

 pelago. He says, " It is remarkable for its quiet, 

 tame habits. It lives entirely on the sea-beach, 

 and there, as well as sometimes on the floating 

 kelp, picks up small sea-shells and crabs, thus sup- 

 plying the place of a sandpiper." The birds of 

 this genus apparently form the type of a distinct 

 family. 



1633. — The Climacteris 



(Climacteris Picummts). This genus holds also a 

 doubtful place among the Certhiadae. It is thus 

 characterised by Temminck : — Bill short, weak, very 

 much compressed throughout its length, but little 

 curved, oval shaped ; mandibles equal, pointed ; 

 nostrils basal, lateral, covered by anaked membrane. 

 Feet robust : tarsi of the length of the middle toe, 

 which, as 'Well as the hallux, are extraordinarily 

 long ; claws large and curved, channelled on the 

 sides, subulate, very much hooked ; external toe 

 united up to the second articulation, the internal 

 toe as far as the first ; lateral toes very unequal. 

 Wings moderate ; first quill short, second shorter 

 than the third, which last and the fourth are the 

 longest. 



Of this genus two species were known, C. Picum- 

 nus and C. scandens, and Mr. Gould has recently 

 added two new ones. All are natives of Australia. 

 They are excellent climbers, traversing the hollow 

 limbs, or spouts, as they are usually termed, of aged 

 Eucalypti, and the rugged bark of decayed trees, 

 in quest of insects, on which they prey. 'They incu- 

 bate in the holes of trees, and the eggs are white. 

 For an account of the species we refer to Mr. Gould's 

 magnificent work on the Birds of Australia, now in 

 the course of publication. 



The Climacteris Picumnus is a native of the 

 north coast of Australia, Timor, and the Celebes. 

 Its colouring is as follows : — Summit of the head 

 deep grey ; nape and neck bright grey. Wings 

 and two middle feathers of the tail brown ; a 

 large nankeen-coloured band passes nearly through 

 the middle of the quills. Tail-feathers black, ex- 

 cept at their origin and extremity. Throat and 

 cheeks dirty white. Breast grey. Feathers of the 

 lower parts white in the middle, bordered with 

 brown. Lower coverts of the tail Isabella-colour, 

 marked with transverse brown spots. Length six 

 inches six lines. (Temm.) 



1634. — The Spine-tailed Obthonyx 



(Ortkonyx spinicaudatm, Temm.). Orthonyx Tein- 

 minckii, "Vigors, 'Linn. Trans.' The Orlhonyx ap- 

 pears to be closely related to Climacteris ; but 

 though its tail be spine-tipped (the stifl' shafts pass- 

 ing beyond the broad part of the feathers), it is far 

 less arboreal in its habits than that species ; its 

 claws, indeed, though large and strong, are but 

 slightly curved, and tlierelore but little adapted, 

 upon the principle of grappling-irons, for clinging. 



