352 BROWN CREEPER 



FIG. 208. 

 Square tail of Vireo 



FIG. 209. FIG. 210. 



Notched tail of Pine Finch. Forked tail of Barn Swallow. 



The nest of the Creeper is one to be searched 

 for diligently, it is such an oddity in bird archi- 

 tecture. It is tucked in under a bit of loose bark 

 on the side of a tree trunk, where it has a ready- 

 made Mansard roof to keep off the rain, and a 

 cosy home of it in all respects. Good notes on 

 the history of one of these nests would be valu- 

 able, as the bird has been studied comparatively 

 little. 



The song of the Creeper is described by Mr. 

 Brewster as exquisitely pure and tender, alter- 

 nately rising and falling, and " dying away in an 

 indescribably plaintive cadence, like the soft sigh 

 of the wind among the pine boughs." 



With the Creepers we complete thirteen of 

 the families of Perching birds, and will do well 

 to glance over the bills and feet added to our list. 

 (See pp. 350, 351. Compare Figs. 106-121, pp. 

 192, 193.) We can also compare the types of 



