132 BROWN CREEPER. 
winding their way up the trunk of a neighboring tree. Although I watched them 
closely, the female soon after in some way eluded my sight and mysteriously disappeared, 
but the male remained in the immediate vicinity, singing at frequent intervals. Being 
convinced that they must have a nest somewhere near, I instituted a careful search 
among the dead trees that stood around, and at length detected a scale of loose bark, 
within which was crammed a suspicious-looking mass of twigs and other rubbish. A 
vigorous rapping upon the base of the trunk producing no effect, I climbed to the spot 
and was about to tear off the bark, when the frightened Creeper darted out within a 
few inches of my face, and the next moment I looked in upon the eggs. 
“The tree selected was a tall dead fir, that stood in the shallow water just out- 
side the edge of the living forest, but surrounded by numbers of its equally unfortunate 
companions. Originally killed by inundation, its branches had long ago yielded to the 
fury of the winter storms, and the various destroying agents of time had stripped off 
the greater part of the bark until only a few persistent scales remained to chequer the 
otherwise smooth, mast-like stem. One of these, in process of detachment, had started 
away from the trunk below, while its upper edges still retained a comparatively firm 
hold, and within the space thus formed the cunning little architect had constructed her 
nest. The whole width of the opening had first been filled with a mass of tough but 
slender twigs (many of them at least six inches in length), and upon this foundation 
the nest proper had been constructed. It was mainly composed of the fine inner bark 
of various trees, with an admixture of a little Usnea moss and a number of spiders’ 
cocoons. The whole mass was firmly but rather loosely put together, the different 
particles retaining their proper position more from the adhesion of their rough surfaces 
than by reason of any special arrangement or interweaving. The general shape of the 
structure necessarily conformed neariy with that of the space within which it was 
placed, but a remarkable feature was presented by the disposition of the lateral 
extremities. These were carried upward to a height of several inches above the middle 
of the nest, ending in long narrow points or horns, which gave to the whole somewhat 
the shape of a well-filled crescent. In the centre or lowest part of the sag thus formed 
was the depression for the reception of the eggs,—an exceedingly neat, cup-shaped 
hollow, bordered by strips of soft, flesh-colored bark and lined with feathers from Ducks 
and other wild birds. The whole was fastened to the concave inner surface of the bark- 
scale rather than to the tree itself, so that when the former was detached it readily 
came off with it. I afterwards found two old nests which were perhaps originally built 
by this same pair of birds, as they were placed on a tree that stood close at hand. 
They were under a single enormous piece of bark, but at its opposite lateral extremities. 
One of them, a nearly shapeless mass of rubbish, was scarcely recognizable, but the 
other still retained its original shape and finish, and contained an unhatched egg, the 
contents of which had long since dried away. Probably they represented the homes 
successively occupied during the two preceding seasons, and it is hence likely that this 
species, like so many others, returns year after year to breed in nearly the same spot. 
“If the above description conveys the desired impression to the reader's mind, he 
can scarcely fail to be struck by the manifold advantages of such a nesting-site. A 
perfect shelter from the sun and rain is afforded by the roof of bark, which, from the 
