THE RED CREEPEK. 205 



Description. 



THE RED CREEPER. 



THIS diminutive bird is even smaller than 

 the last-mentioned species. It is chiefly remark- 

 able for its nest, which, unlike those of most of 

 the other kinds of creepers, is pensile. It is 

 formed not unlike a chemist's retort fixed with 

 the mouth downwards, through which the parent 

 ascends to its young placed in the bulb at the 

 top. Its length is about fourteen or sixteen 

 inches, and it is suspended to the most extreme 

 and tender branches of the trees, by means of a 

 kind of woven work of the same materials as the 

 exterior of the nest. In the broadest part of the 

 bulb it measures about six inches in diameter. 

 Within it is lined with extreme soft and downy 

 materials, to guard the bodies of the tender 

 young from injury; and it is altogether so very 

 light as to be driven about by the most gentle 

 breeze. 



This bird is an inhabitant of New Spain, and 

 feeds on insects, like the common species. 



