CEEEPEES. 



493 



tail. The family comprehends several genera and sub-genera, of 

 which the principal are the Climbers, properly so called, as the 

 Creepers (Certhia), the Wall-Creepers {Tichodroma), the Picum- 

 nus, the Furnarius, the Sucriers, the Soui-mangas, and the Nut- 

 hatches (Sitta). 



The Creepers (Certhia) are small Climbing birds which live 

 and build their nests in the holes they bore in the trunk or in 

 the natural hollows of trees : the insects to be found under the 

 bark are their food. Looking at the form of their slender beak, it 



Fig. 208. — The Creeper {Certhia familiarise Linn.). 



is difficult to imagine how it can penetrate the hard covering 

 of an oak, for which they exhibit a marked preference. The Tree- 

 Creeper [Certhia familiaris)'ia spread over nearly every European 

 country, and is very common in France. The "Wall-Creeper 

 [Tichodroma muraria, C. Bonap.), called also Wall- Climber (the 

 Grimpereau des Murailles of French authors), owes its name to 

 its habit of climbing the walls of dwellings. Supporting-points 

 are not found in their tails, as in the Woodpeckers. Grasping 

 the tree with their claws, they assist their feet by a slight move- 

 ment of the wings. They feed on insects, and lead a solitary 

 life on the mountains, only descending into the plains with the 



