SONG-BIRDS. Brown Creeper 



Mr. Averill, of Bridgeport, says, " Abundant in September 

 and October, 1888. Not seen at any other time by me." 

 Dr. J. A. Allen writes, in his " Eevised List of the Birds of 

 Massachusetts," " Winter visitant. Not generally common." 

 In New York State it seems to be plentiful only in the 

 migrations, but Bradford Torrey, in his essay on " December 

 (1888) out of Doors," says, "Throughout December, and 

 indeed throughout the winter, Brown Creepers and Bed- 

 bellied Nuthatches were surprisingly abundant. Every pine 

 wood seemed to have its colony of them." 



On October 18, of the past autumn, half-a-dozen pairs 

 appeared in the spruces in the garden and remained all 

 winter, and on January 1 I saw five at one time feeding in 

 the old apple tree, where meat had been placed for their 

 benefit. 



FAMILY CERTHIID^: CREEPERS. 



Brown Creeper: Certhia familiaris americana. 



Plate 11. Pig. 2. 

 Length : 5.50 inches. 

 Male and Female : Above brown and ashy-white striped, the brown 



being of several shades, growing more red on rump. Tail pale 



brown. Throat, breast, and belly grayish white. Slender, 



curving bill, black above, yellowish below. Feet brown. 

 Song : Wild and sweet, but difficult of syllabication. Call note short 



and lisping. 

 Season : "Winter resident, common from September to April. 

 Breeds : Locally in Massachusetts, but usually further north. 

 Nest : Tucked into a crevice between loose bark and the trunk of the 



tree, and composed of moss, sticks, and soft bark. 

 Eggs: 4-8, cream-white (sometimes having a pink tinge), spotted with 



brown. 

 Sange : North America east of the Rocky Mountains, breeding from 



the northern and more elevated parts of the United States 



northward. Migrating southward in winter. 



The Brown Creeper is one of the tree-trunk birds that, 

 together with Woodpeckers and Nuthatches, are chiefly to 

 be seen when prying their food from the crevices of the 

 bark. The Creeper is the most difficult to observe of them 

 all, for his colouring is a mixture of browns and grays that 



75 



