280 VERTEBRATA. AVES. 



that when the sun went down he would cease from 

 his labours and rest ; but no ! at the interval of 

 every ten minutes, up to nine or ten in the night, 

 he resumed his knocking, and strongly reminded us 

 of the coffin-maker's nightly and dreary occupation. 

 It was said by one of us, 'he is nailing his own 

 coffin;' and so it proved. An awful fluttering in the 

 cage, now covered with a handkerchief, announced that 

 something was wrong ; and we found him at the bottom 

 of his prison, with his feathers ruffled, and nearly 

 all turned back. He was taken out, and for some 

 time he lingered away in convulsions, and occasional 

 brightenings up. At length he drew his last gasp ; 

 and will it be believed, that tears were shed on his 

 demise ? The fact is, that the apparent intelligence 

 of his character, the speculation in his eye, the as- 

 siduity of his labour, and his most extraordinary fear- 

 lessness and familiarity, though coupled with fierce- 

 ness, gave us a consideration for him that may ap- 

 pear ridiculous to those who have never so nearly 

 observed the ways of an animal as to feel interested 

 in its fate. "With us it was different."* 



Certhia, the Creepers. 



The bill in this genus is curved downwards ; and 

 is more slender than in the preceding. The tail is 

 now used as a support in climbing, and to adapt it 

 for this service, the feathers are strong and rigid, 

 and the shafts project in sharp points beyond the 

 webs, as in the Woodpeckers. Of nearly the same 

 * Vol. i. p. 328. 



