THE BROWN CREEPER. s"? 



Woodpecker {Melanerpes erythrocephalus). About the size of 

 most of its relatives in this locality, some 9.50 long, 

 with bright-scarlet head and neck, upper parts black with 

 steel-blue reflections, except the rump and secondaries, 

 which, like the under parts, are white, it is so well known 

 as to need but little description. This bird is a common 

 resident here during the summer, and, in most respects, is 

 so like other Woodpeckers in habit as to need but little 

 special history in a work like this. Its partiality to road- 

 sides, its striking coloration of red, white and black, making 

 it one of the most strikingly beautiful bird-ornaments of 

 our landscape, and its excessive fondness for fruit, especially 

 •cherries, are its most marked peculiarities. Its ordinary 

 call, ker-er-er-er-er, when rollicking in the tree-tops, is very 

 characteristic. 



THE BROWN CREEPER. 



The Red-head passes out of sight, and for a while all is 

 silent. Hark! there is a soft conversational twitter among 

 the hemlocks. I wait patiently, and strain my eyes in this 

 direction and that, but for some minutes can see nothing. 

 Presently a troop of Chickadees appear; then several White- 

 bellied Nuthatches, uttering a soft kip., kip, kip, and an 

 occasional sonorous quank, quank, pass by in their usual 

 spirited manner; and, while they are yet passing, two Brown 

 Creepers {Certhia familiaris) come in sight. Lighting at the 

 base of the trees, they ascend them by dainty little jerks in 

 a spiral manner, gleaning food as they go, uttering an 

 occasional soft chip, or a quick shree-shree-shree; often flit- 

 ting away from a tree before ascending very high, in order 

 to begin the ascent at the base of another, which, this time, 

 perhaps, will be continued to the top. How well the color 

 of this little bird, a variety of rich browns curiously marked 

 ■ — the white underneath being out of sight — corresponds 



