CLASS II. AVES: ORDER 2. PASSERES. 



THE CEETHIN^ OR CREEPERS. 



109 



Beside the true Creepers, some naturalists 

 have included various other analogous gen- 

 era, such as the Soui-Manga^ Guitguit, Di- 

 cceu7n, Nectarinia^ Melithre])tus, Furnarius, 

 &c., under the name of Certhiadce ; we shall 

 notice under the term Certhince only the true 

 Creepers. 



Genus CERTHIA : CertMa.—Th.\fi includes 

 the Common Creeper or Tree Climber — 

 Grimpercaii of the French ; Kleinste Baum- 

 Hdcker of the Germans ; Piccio Rampkhino 

 of the Italians — C.familiaris: this has a bill 

 slender, and curved; length six and a half 

 \ inches ; head and neck above, streaked with 

 black and yellowish-brown ; a white line above 

 \i each eye; back and rump tawny; coverts 

 dusky brown and yellowish-white ; breast and 

 ^-^ y belly silver-white. It is a most restless and 

 ,v I active little bird, ever on the alert, and climbing 

 up and about the trunks and branches of trees, 

 intent on picking up its insect food. But even 

 where it is common it is not easily seen, for its 

 activity in shifting its position makes it very dif- 

 ficult to follow it with the eye. At one instant 

 it is before the spectator, and the next is hid- 

 den from his view by the intervening trunk or 

 branch, to the opposite side of which it has 

 passed in a moment. The toes are so con- 

 trived that the bird at will can remove their 

 position ; the tail feathers at the ends are bare, and operate as a support ; these are beautiful 

 adaptations to the peculiar motions of the bird. Its note is monotonous, and often repeated. It 

 builds its nest in a hole of a decayed tree ; this is formed of dry grass, lined with small feathers, 

 in which six or eight eggs are deposited. While the female sits she is regularly fed by the male 

 bird. It is found throughout the continent of Europe, migrating in October to the southern 

 parts, but is permanent in Great Britain. 



The American Brown Creeper, C. Americana^ is five and a half inches long; upper part of 

 the head deep brown ; back brown ; both streaked with white. This has been supposed to be 

 the same as the European creeper, but it is now held to be distinct. Wilson thus describes it: 

 "In winter it associates with the small spotted woodpecker, nuthatch, titmouse, &c., and often 

 follows in their rear, gleaning up those insects wliich their more powerful bills had alarmed and 

 exposed; for its own slender, incurvated bill seems unequal to the task of penetrating into even 

 the decayed wood ; though it may into holes, and behind scales of the bark. Of the titmouse, 

 there are, generally present, the individuals of a whole family, and seldom more than one or two 

 of the others. As the party advances through the woods from tree to tree, our little gleaner 

 seems to observe a good deal of regularity in his proceedings; he alights on the body near the 

 root of the tree, and directs his course, with great nimbleness, upward to the higher branches, 

 sometimes spirally, often in a direct line, moving rapidly and uniformly along, with his tail bent 

 to the tree, and not in the hopping manner of the woodpecker, whom he far surpasses in dexterity 

 of climbing, running along the lower side of the horizontal branches with surprising ease. If any 

 person be near when he alights, he is sure to keep the opposite side of the tree, moving round as 

 he moves, so as to prevent him from getting more than a transient glimpse of him. The best 



THE COMMON CREEPER OF EUUOPE. 



