302 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM. 



something of the moist quality of the bird's surroundings. The birds', 

 with tails turned up over their backs, sway up and down on the reed- 

 stalks or bob in and out of the nests, which surround one on every 

 side. 1 



They occur abundantly at Cape May and other coastal swamps all 

 the way to New York, and also up the Delaware to Trenton. I have 

 found them breeding above tidewater at May's Landing; Professor 

 Phillips has found nests at Duck Pond, near Princeton, 2 and Mr. 

 Miller reports them in Great Swamp, near Plainfield, and on the 

 Raritan ; Mr. P. B. Philipp found them abundant at Newton, Sussex 

 county. As an illustration of the abundance of the nests of this bird 

 in marshes where colonies are established, and also as an example of 

 the extent to which the egg-collectmg mania may be carried, we may 

 quote Mr. B. B. Haines, who states that he has known a collector, near 

 Elizabeth, to obtain from 400 to 500 eggs in a day. 3 



At Cape May Mr. Rhoads and I found them wintering in small 

 numbers, January 28th, 1892. 4 



Family CERTHIIDJE. 



THE CREEPERS. 



726 Certhia familiaris americana (Bonaparte). 

 Brown Creeper. 



PLATE 79. 



Adults. Length, 5-5.75. Wing, 2.50. Above, brown, each feather with a 

 central grayish-white streak ; rump, rusty ; tail, grayish-brown ; w r ings, brown, 

 spotted on both webs of the feathers with white or gray ; below, grayish-white. 



Nest behind loose pieces of bark hanging to tree trunks, made of chips, moss, 

 cobwebs, etc. ; eggs, four to six, white, spotted with reddish-brown, .58 x .48. 



Tolerably common winter resident, more abundant in migrations. 

 Arrives September 20th, departs April 15th. Summer resident in the 

 mountains of Sussex county. 



1 Cf. C. J. Hunt, Cassinia, 1904, pp. 17-25, for account of habits in N. J. 



2 Birds of Princeton, p. 79. 



3 O. and O., 1883, p. 0. 

 * Auk, 1892, p. 204. 



