CHAPTER L. 



December A December 10. 



THE BROWN CREEPER. 



Order Passeres. Suborder Oscines. 



Family Certhdidae. Genus Certhia. 



Species Certhia familiaris americana. 

 Length 5.00 to 5.75 ; wing, 2.40 to 2.70 ; tail, 2.30 to 2.90. 

 Migration North, April ; south, September. 



"The little brown creeper climbs up the tree, 

 Not stopping to talk with the chickadee-dee, 



And clinging on with his dear little feet, 

 He looks inexpressibly cunning and sweet. 



We listen with joy to the cheerful note 

 Coming from such a tiny throat." 



The family Certhidse, composed of the creepers, has in it 

 about twelve species. Of these the brown creeper is the only 

 one found in America. It is an expert tree climber and par- 

 tial to the tree tops. In appearance the sexes are alike. Its 

 bill is long, slender, curved, compressed at the sides, and acute 

 at the tip ; the wings are moderate and rounded ; the tail is 

 long and graduated with the ends of the feathers slightly 

 curved and, like that of the woodpecker, is used for a support, 

 as is shown by the illustration ; the toes are long and slender 

 of the body is of a mottled color of brown and white, and buff 

 of the body is of a mottled color of brown and white and buff 

 the tail is a light buff, and the under parts are white without 

 any marks. 



The brown creeper is an active, nervous little creature, 

 which flits rapidly from one tree to another, generally alight- 



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