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GBilLiEGTORg' MQFpFiliY. 



Devoted to Oology, Ornithology and Entomology-. 



Vol. I. 



NEWBTJRGH, N. Y., SEPTEMBER, 1893. 



No. 2. 



Black and White Creeper. 



This species is spareely distributed 

 throughout the southwestern part of 

 Rhode Island. From the fact that it 

 is seen in the fall in greater numbers, 

 I judge it to breed more plentiful to 

 the northward. It is an early arrival 

 often here by the 1st of April. I gen- 

 erally observed it among heavily tim- 

 bered wood searching after insects 

 with great industry and thoroughness, 

 that is certainly commendable to all. 



A strong contrast is exhibited be- 

 tween his plumage and the rough 

 brown bark of the tree as he nimbly 

 runs up its sides, sticking his bill into 

 crack and crevice that can shelter an 

 insect. In the woods where dozens 

 of birds are warbling, you would 

 scarcely have your attention called to 

 it by its song, their most common note 

 is a faint metallic chink. In the sec- 

 ond week in June I had discovered a 

 nest of the Scarlet Tanager in an oak 

 tree on the edge of a — not so dense as 

 heavily wooded grove ; and as I lay 

 under the tree watching their move- 

 ments a creeper came and stopped 

 within eight feet of me ; I saw that 

 he had some food in his mouth for 

 his family of young, but was too bus- 

 ily employed to observe more, and 

 immediately left me. I did not think 



that I should see him again, but after 

 I had satisfied myself in regard to the 

 Tanagers, I saw him returning the 

 same way and by watching soon dis- 

 covered the nest which contained four 

 young, scarcely a week old. I dis- 

 covered another the same season, 

 which was placed among the roots of 

 a large chestnut. It was composed of 

 moss, leaves and a few fine roots for 

 the exterior, while it was neatly lined 

 with a soft substance obtained from 

 mullen stalks and a few hairs. It 

 held five eggs, and as I stood and 

 gazed at it I thought it the prettiest 

 and coziest nest that I had seen for 

 many a day. The ground color of 

 the eggs was of a delicate cream and 

 marked with fine dots and an occasion- 

 al blotch of a ferruginous color. The 

 marks were thickest at the large end. 

 Average of the eggs, .65 x .52. 



The first nest that I was fortunate 

 enough to find had young that would 

 have been able to care for themselves 

 by the 1st of July, which would have 

 given the parents plenty of time to 

 rear a second brood, but could not say 

 that they did in this locality. 



B. J. Peckham. 



The numerous illustrations and de- 

 scriptions of world's fair buildings 

 in Scientific American are excellent. 



