IVAYS/DM RAMBLES. 19 



times in quick succession. He rested a moment, 

 and then repeated the comedy. 



On another occasion a creeper was preening his 

 ruffled feathers, having evidently just taken a bath ; 

 and how do you suppose he went about it ? In quite a 

 characteristic fashion, you may rest assured. Instead 

 of sitting crosswise on a perch, as most birds would 

 have done, he clung to the vertical bole of a large 

 oak-tree, holding himself firmly against the shaggy 

 bark, and daintily straightening out every feather 

 from his breast to his flexible tail. Growing tired 

 of this position — apparently so, at least — he 

 shuffled up to a fork made by the trunk and a large 

 limb, where he found a more comfortable slanting 

 perch on which to complete his toilet. Once, after- 

 ward, I saw a creeper arranging his plumes in the 

 same way. 



But the quaintest exploit of this bird still remains 

 to be described. One autumn day, while rambling 

 along the foot of a range of steep cliffs, I caught sight 

 of one of these birds darting from a tree toward the 

 perpendicular wall of rock. For a few moments I 

 lost him, but followed post-haste, muttering to my- 

 self, " What if I should find the little clown cHmbing 

 up the face of the cliff ! That would be a perform- 

 ance worth describing to my bird-loving friends, 

 wouldn't it?" (Surely a monomaniac may talk 

 aloud to himself.) I could scaicely believe my 

 eyes, for the next moment my happy presenti- 

 ment was realized; there was the creeper scaling 

 the vertical face of the cliff, with as much ease and 



