CREEPERS 



(726) Certhia familiaris famil= 

 iaris Bonap. 



(Lat., a creeper; domestic). 



BROWN CREEPER. Bill slen- 

 der and decurved. Tail feathers 

 narrow and sharply pointed. Plum- 

 age as shown; streaked brov/n and 

 gray above; rump light rufous; tail 

 uniform dull brownish; wings marked 

 with whitish and brown; below white. 

 L., 5.50; W., 2.50; T., 2.65; B., .60. 

 Nest — Of small twigs, strips of bark, 

 moss, bits of wood, etc., lined with 

 hair; in crevices behind loose bark on 

 trunks of trees; five to seven white 

 eggs with a wreath of bro\vn specks 

 about the large end, .62 x .45. 



Range — Breeds from Newfound- 

 land, Quebec, Ont. and Man. south 

 to Mass., N. Y., Ind. and Neb. and 

 in the Alleghenies to N. Car. Win- 

 ters throughout the U. S. 



or in nooks or crannies anywhere, sometimes in old tin cans 

 that have been cast away. 



Marsh wrens are scarcely ever found away from marshy 

 localities. The SHORT-BILLED MARSH WPEN, easily 

 distinguished from the next because its bill is shorter and the 

 crown is streaked with whitish, inhabits wet meadows even 

 more frequently than rush-grown ponds. They are difficult 

 to see or to flush as they can thread their way through the 

 grass like mice, only their clicking notes indicating their 

 presence. Their song is a rapid chippering ending in a burr. 

 Their round grass nests with side entrances are placed on or 

 near the ground; the eggs are pure white, which is quite 

 unusual for those of members of this family. 



LONG-BILLED MARSH WRENS are to be found in 

 reeds, cane, or rushes growing in sloughs, along creeks, or the 

 edges of rivers. Their presence would not be suspected were 

 it not for the sputtering alarm calls they make when any one 

 comes into view. Most of the time they keep out of sight, 



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