The Woodheiver Family. 251 



from its timid sliade-loving congeners in another 

 direction by becoming a seed and fruit eater. 



Probably the sober and generally protective 

 colom^ing of the tree-creepers, even with the vari- 

 ability and adaptiveness displayed in their habits 

 superadded, would be insufficient to preserve such 

 feeble birds in the struggle of life without the 

 further advantage derived from their wonderful 

 nests. It has been said of domed nests that they 

 are a danger rather than a protection, owing to 

 their large size, which makes it easy for carnivor- 

 ous species that prey on eggs and young birds to 

 find them ; while small open nests are usually well 

 concealed. This may be the case with covered nests 

 made of soft materials, loosely put together ; but it 

 cannot be said of the solid structure the tree-creeper 

 bnilds, and which, as often as not, the bird erects 

 in the most conspicuous place it can find, as if, 

 writes Azara, it desired all the world to admire its 

 work. The annual destruction of adult birds is very- 

 great — more than double that, I believe, which takes 

 place in other passerine families. Their eggs and 

 young are, however, practically safe in their great 

 elaborate nests or deep burrows, and, as a rule, they 

 lay more eggs than other kinds, the full complement 

 being seldom less than five in the species I am 

 acquainted with, Avhile some lay as many as nine. 

 Their nests are also made so as to keep out a greater 

 pest than their carnivorous or egg-devouring 

 enemies — namely, the parasitical starlings (Molo- 

 thrus), which are found throughout South America, 

 and are excessively abundant and destructive to 

 birds' nests in some districts. In most cases, in the 



