BLACK-AND.WHITE CREEPER. 453 



Two broods are raised in the season. The young go about in com- 

 pany, following the parents, and it is not unusual to see nine or ten of 

 these birds scrambling with great activity along the trvmk of a tree. I 

 have not found its nest in the Middle States, where, however, I am con- 

 vinced many breed. 



The young are similar in colouring to the females. The young 

 males do not acquire their full plumage until the following spring. 



A male of this species is represented on a twig of the tree commonly 

 called the Black Larch. 



Syxvia varia, Lath. Ind. Oniith. vol. ii. p. 539.— CA. Bonaparlr, Synopsis of Birds of 



the United States, p. 81. 

 White-poll Warbler, Lath. Synops. vol. iv. p. 488. 

 BLACK-AifD-wHiTE Ceeeper, Certhla VARIA, WUs. Auier. Ornith- vol. liL p. 23. 



PL xix. fig. 3. 



Adult Male. Plate XC. 



Bill rather long, slightly arched, compressed, extremely slender, 

 acute ; nostrils basal, narrow, half-closed by a membrane. General form 

 slender. Feet of ordinary length, slender ; tarsus longer than the mid- 

 dle toe, scutellate before ; toes free, scutellate, the hind one proportionally 

 larger ; claws compressed, very acute, arched. 



Plumage soft and blended. Wings of ordinary length, third quill 

 longest, secondaries short. Tail nearly even, of twelve narrow, rounded 

 feathers. 



Bill black. Iris hazel. Feet dusky yellow. Middle of the head 

 longitudinally white, bordered on each side by a broad stripe of black, 

 beneath which, on each side, over the eye, is a line of white. Ear-coverts 

 and chin black. Back and breast streaked with white and black. Wings 

 black, the outer margins of the quills greyish- white, the tips of the larger 

 coverts, excepting the primary ones, white, forming two broad bands of 

 that colour across the wing. Tail black, tinged with bluish-grey ex- 

 ternally, the ends of the inner webs of the three outer feathers on each 

 side white. Abdomen white ; sides and under tail-coverts white, spotted 

 with black. 



Length 5^ inches, extent of wings 7i ; bill along the ridge i. 



