resembles the 

 hap-p-p-rrrr ; 

 igs ill II mucli 

 vnried iiiul in 

 »f chappenug 

 usually seen 

 tail bent for- 

 ig in an exag- 



3. 



n is the long- 

 ind in places 

 bly mouselike 

 with extreme 



rilOMPSON. 



Mak8ii Wkkn. 



over the eye; 

 lite ; rump cin- 

 il burred; un- 

 \ with gruyish 

 ., l-(58; B., -52. 

 iiierieu ; breeds 

 r>])a and Massu- 



ulf States, and 

 I'd to Mexico, 

 s S. R., Apl. 



omtnon S. R., 

 iiy 15 to Oct.; 



eed stalks, etc., 

 c to nine, uni- 

 olive-brown, 



ren. you have 



ses bordering 



iiDunee your- 



w of his, and 



ain scolding, 



ered life ap- 



il and much 



It before you 



aek into his 



jing position 



numbers of 



CREKPERS. 



385 



them — have doubtless been charming you with their rippling, bub- 

 bling, gurgling song. It is quite beyond their control; they seem 

 filled to overflowing with an inexhaustible supply of nnisic. S<ime- 

 times, like a nune of melody, it explodes within them and lifts them 

 from the dark recesses of the flags up into the air above. 



726b. C. p. griaevm llriuxt. Wuicthinoton's Maksm Wkkn.— 

 " Rluek lit uppiT part.s imioli dulliT ami les.s externleil tliaii in jmii/strix, usu- 

 ally continud to tlie extreme wideM of tlio crown and u short, narrow area in 

 the middle of tlic baek, and in extreme specimens aliiiost whully alwent. 

 JJrown of hides, tiankw, and upper parts pale and (.'niyisli. Dark iiuirkiMjrs of 

 the under tail-coverts, tlanks, «ides, and breiust faint, confuseil, and incon- 

 spicuous, sometimes i.ractically wanting,'." \V., 1-su ; T., 1-53; B., '50 (Brew- 

 ster, Auk. X, 1H'J3, p. 218). 



Hnnge. — Coast of >50uth Carolina and Georgia. 



786*1* C. p> nuurlaJUB (Scott). Makian's Maksh Wkkn.— Similar 

 U) ('. pnliixtriK. but with the upper parts darker, the sides atnl thinks of about 

 the same color as the rump; tlie uiuler tail-coverts, and sometimes the lireust, 

 barred or spotted with black. W., 1-8"); T., ITr); B., o^. 



A'a«j/<;.— Gulf coast of Florida, and probably westward to Louisiana. 



Family CERTHiiDiE. Creepers. 



This is an Old- World family, numV)ering about twelve species, of 

 which only one is found in America. Our bird and its several races 

 belong to the northern group containing the species witii stiffened 

 tails. It is a true tree-creeper, and, like a Woodpecker, uses its tail 

 as a prop in climbing. 



786* Certhia. fkmiliaris ainerica>na< ( Bnnnp.). Brown CuKErER. 

 (See Fi(j. .50.) Ad. — Upper jmrts mixed white, fuscous, and oeliraoeous-i)uff ; 

 rump pale rufous; wintrs with a band of crcam-buft'; tail pale i;riiyish 

 brown, the feathers d{fened and sharph/ pointed; under parts white; bill 

 slightly curved. L., S-fit; ; W., 2-.')r, ; T.. 2-fi.'') ; B., -0.3. 



Ranfje. — Eastern North .\mcnca; i)rccds from Minnesota and Maine 

 northward; mlj^rates south in winter ns far as the Gulf States. 



Wiu»liini.'ton, common W. V., Sept. 2.") to .\pl. 2Ty. Siiiir Sin?, tolerably 

 common W. V., Sept. 20 to May 7. Cambridge, common T. V., rather com- 

 mon W. v., Sept. 25 to May 1. 



Ni-nt. oftwijrs, strips of l)ark, bits of dead wood, moss, etc., placed behind 

 the loose bark of a tree. Ecjrju. iivc to eijrht, white, spotted and speckled 

 with cinnamon- or rufous-brown and hivendiT. chiefly in a wreath at the 

 larger end, -62 x -47 (Brewster, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, iv, isr'.i, p. I'JO). 



The facts in the case will doubtless show that the patient, plod- 

 ding Brown Creeper is searching for the insects, eggs, and larvje which 

 are hidden in crevices in the bark ; but after watching him for several 

 mitiutes one becomes impressed with the thought that he has lost the 

 80 



