514 BRITISH BIRDS. 



may always be distinguished at a glance by their barred tails. The other, 

 C. discolor, with a brown throat and breast, and its allied form C. sto- 

 liczkce, with a white throat, both from the Himalayas, are distinguished by 

 their long rufous tails. 



This engaging little bird, from the nature of its haunts, its sombre 

 dress, and unobtrusive ways, is one that is too often overlooked. The 

 Creeper, like the Woodpeckers, is only found in well-timbered districts. 

 It is most common in old forests, where the trees are large, aged, and 

 decayed, and not too close together. It is very partial to large parks 

 thickly studded with fine old trees ; but sometimes it is met with away 

 from these localities, in orchards and gardens, and more rarely in the 

 vicinity of old sheds and buildings. But these places are only visited by 

 the Creeper now and then ; his home is in the woods. 



The Nuthatch has the bill of a Woodpecker; but the Creeper has the tail 

 of that bird. The stiff pointed feathers are of the greatest use in ascend- 

 ing the perpendicular trunks of trees. The tail is always depressed, so that 

 the points of the feathers touch the bark ; and thus it forms a prop or third 

 leg, most useful in ascent, but useless in descent. We therefore find that 

 the Creeper, like the Woodpecker, but unlike the Nuthatch, ascends the 

 trunks with the greatest ease, but is rarely, if ever, seen head downwards. 

 He will often commence his operations within a few inches of the roots of 

 a tree, and, working round and round, slowly traverse the whole stem and 

 many of the larger limbs ere he drops down to the foot of another tree to 

 renew his labours. How quickly he passes over the rough and lichen- 

 covered bark, more like a mouse than a bird ! He will thus go perhaps 

 for about a yard with wonderful speed. Then for a few moments you will 

 lose sight of him as he traverses the other side of the trunk, and you may- 

 hap think he has departed ; but after a few moments his sharp little head 

 pops round, and you catch a glance of his silky white underplumage as he 

 pauses for a moment pecking vigorously away at an insect he has discovered 

 in one of the chinks of the bark. During the whole time he is on a tree he 

 rarely uses his wings at all, but creeps about from branch to branch and 

 then to the trunk, until, satisfied that no more food can be found, he 

 passes on, uttering a feeble little cheep-cheep, to another tree, where pre- 

 cisely the same operations are repeated. To a great extent he is a wary 

 bird, although not what we can call a shy one. You have but to keep still 

 and be careful not to alarm him, and he will continue to feed just as 

 freely as though you were not there. Sometimes he is seen upon the 

 ground (but this is not often), searching amongst the vegetation at the foot 

 of the tree ; and he may also be observed to explore dead branches lying 

 on the ground. He may also be noticed occasionally on the stacks of 

 wood piled in the forest to be burnt for charcoal ; and in these situations 

 his actions put you in mind very much of those of the Wren. According 



