COMMON CREEPER. 167 



grass mixed up and lined with black wool, and a few small 

 dark-coloured feathers. The Creeper is an early breeder, 

 laying from seven to nine eggs in the month of April : the 

 eggs measure eight lines in length, and five lines and a half 

 in breadth : they are white, with a few pale red spots, 

 often confined to the large end only. The notes of the 

 Creeper are pleasing, and not unlike those of the Gold 

 Crested Regulus. 



The Creeper is distributed generally over England, and 

 is not a migratory bird as has been supposed ; Mr. Thomp- 

 son also sends me word that it is resident in certain lo- 

 calities in Ireland. Mr. Selby says it is abundant all the 

 year in Northumberland ; and he has seen it at Blair in 

 Athole, and at Dunkeld. Mr. Macgillivray says it is 

 common about Edinburgh. Miiller includes it in his birds 

 of Denmark; and M. Nilsson says it is not uncommon in 

 Sweden. It is rare in Russia and Siberia ; but is common 

 from Germany to Italy and Sicily. 



According to the concurring testimony of Wilson, C. L. 

 Bonaparte, Sir William Jardine, Audubon, Nuttall, and 

 others, our Creeper is found throughout the United States 

 of North America, where it is called the Brown Creeper ; 

 but as this bird was not met with by Dr. Richardson, it is 

 probable that it does not extend its range so far north as 

 the Fur Countries. 



The beak of this species is about as long as the head, 

 curved downwards, slender, and pointed ; the upper man- 

 dible dark brown, the lower one pale brownish white : the 

 irides hazel ; over the eye a light-coloured streak ; upper 

 part of the head dark brown, the centre of each feather 

 being pale wood brown ; back dark brown, streaked with 

 light greyish brown ; rump reddish tawny ; wing-feathers 

 brown ; wing-coverts tipped with dull white ; primaries 



