BIRDS OF MINNESOTA. 493 
Family CERTHIID 2. 
CERTHIA FAMILIARIS AMERICANA (Bonaparte). (726.) 
BROWN CREEPER. 
The Brown Creeper is a nervous, restless little fellow, who 
comes so near being a permanent resident, that he only goes 
barely far enough away in winter to be amongst us again very 
early in the spring, an occasional individual lingering through 
that inclement and vigorous season. Recorded observations 
here give its arrivals in spring, between the first and tenth of 
April, and the departures between the first and tenth of 
December, but as already intimated, there are wide exceptions 
from these dates and in the more southern counties it has been 
observed early in March. 
Its habits have been so beautifully described by Wilson, that 
I repeat some passages referring to them. When describing 
its proclivity to follow the Hairy Woodpecker, nuthatches, 
and Chickadee through the woods, ‘‘gleaning up those insects 
which their more powerful bills had alarmed and exposed,” he 
says: ‘‘As the party advances from tree to tree our little 
gleaner seems to observe a good deal of regularity in his pro- 
ceedings; for I have almost always observed that he alights on 
the body near the root of the tree, and directs his course with 
great nimbleness upward to the higher branches, sometimes 
spirially, 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 dexter- 
ity 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 take the opposite side of the tree, moving 
around as he moves, so as to prevent him from getting more 
than a transient glimpse of him. 
The best method for outwitting him, if you are alone, is, as 
soon as he alights and disappears behind the trunk, take your 
stand behind an adjoining one, and keep a sharp lookout, twen- 
ty or thirty feet up the oody of the tree he is upon, for he gen- 
erally mounts very regularly to a considerable hight, examin- 
ing the whole way asheadvances. In a miuute or two, hearing 
all still, he will make his appearance on one side or the other: 
of the tree and give you an opportunity of observing him.” 
282 
