BIRDS OF 



the bay, and it is seen from the beginning of May till the end of 

 August, climbing, hopping and swaying itself to and fro among 

 the reeds in all conceivable postures. In the spring it appears 

 to be continually under great nervous excitement, which it works 

 off in nest building, often constructing two or three when only 

 one is required. So large a number of nests, when observed, 

 gives the impression that the birds breed in colonies, but I have 

 not noticed this to be the case. All the nests I have seen have 

 been so placed that they could only be reached by wading or in a 

 boat, and sometimes they were among the reeds on a quaking 

 bog where approach was impossible. 



Their mode of migration is a mystery. We are accustomed 

 to say that they retire to the south early in September, but how 

 do they travel ? Do they rise in flocks like Swallows and go off 

 during the night, or do they make the long journey from the 

 Saskatchewan, where they were seen by Richardson, south to 

 Guatemala, flitting singly or in pairs from bush to bush ? In 

 either case it is strange that they are seldom, if ever, seen except 

 in the marshy tracts where they spend the summer. 



FAMILY CERTHIID^E. CREEPERS. 



GENUS CERTHIA LINNAEUS. 



CERTHIA FAMILIARIS AMERICANA (BONAP.). 

 288. Brown Creeper. 726. 



Plumage above singularly barred with dusky, whitish, tawny or fulvous- 

 brown and bright brown latter chiefly on the rump ; below white, either 

 pure or soiled, and generally brownish washed behind ; wings dusky, oddly 

 varied with tawny or whitish bars and spots ; tail plain, about 5^ ; wir?g and 

 tail, about 2 . 



HAS. North America in general ; breeding from the northern and more 

 elevated parts of the United States north ward, migrating southward in winter. 



Nest, nearly always in a crevice where the bark is partially separated 

 from the trunk of a tree. 



Eggs, 5 to 8 ; dull white, spotted with reddish-brown. 



This singular little bird is seen in Southern Ontario at nearly 

 all seasons, but it is most abundant during the period of migra- 



290 



