174 British Birds, with their Nests and Eggs. 



' hvcc-hvee-hv-twee-t .' It was late in the morning when I found that it was nothing 

 in the world but our common little Tree-creeper. Now, I can count on my fingers 

 the number of times that I have heard the Creeper sing, and on those rare occa- 

 sions in England I have never heard the notes I have just described. But there 

 is no doubt that birds speak with a different accent in different localities." 



There is not the least doubt that this is the case, for it is a fact well known 

 to bird-catchers, and it only shows the importance of a careful study of bird-song. 

 Without question Mr. Witchell, though some of his theories as to the origin of 

 bird-music seem somewhat strained and improbable, has done good work by his 

 researches in this direction. 



The Tree-Creeper commences nidification towards the end of April ; usually 

 selecting as a site an opening behind the partly detached bark on the trunk of a 

 tree, less frequently, a crevice left by the breaking away of plaster in an out- 

 building, in a woodstack or heap of bricks, occasionally behind the eaves of a shed, 

 or even (so it is said) "in the foundation of the nest of a large bird of prey." 

 The nest itself is usually placed on a foundation of twigs, the outer walls being 

 formed of finer twigs intermixed with roots, and lined with fine root-fibre, moss, 

 grass, fine strips of bark, and sometimes a few feathers. The eggs which are 

 stated to number from six to nine in the first nest, and from three to five in the 

 second, are pure white, spotted and sometimes blotched with reddish-brown, and 

 Avith greyish-lavender underlying markings ; the spots frequently form a well- 

 defined zone round the larger end, sometimes they are few and dark, sometimes 

 scattered and paler. 



A nest in my collection pronounced by Mr. Seebohm to be unquestionably 

 that of a Tree-Creeper, is a somewhat flimsy little open cup which was built in a 

 cluster of twigs projecting from the trunk on an oak-tree at a height of about 

 eight feet from the ground ; it contains six well marked zoned eggs : another dis- 

 tinguished Ornithologist to whom I showed this nest, was of opinion that it was 

 that of a subspecies or phase of the Wood- Warbler (or a bird so exactly like that 

 species, that its singular type of nest alone served to distinguish it). He told me 

 that he had seen others of the same character and from similar sites. This nest 

 has a good deal of spiders' silk in the lining. 



In addition to insects, the Tree-Creeper (like all insectivorous birds) is very 

 fond of spiders ; it is said also to eat the seeds of the Scotch fir. 



Although hardly a suitable subject for cage-life, I have seen several examples, 

 probably hand- reared, at bird-shows : in a large aviary they would be more inter- 

 esting, though perhaps difficult to feed. 



