212 CREEPER. 



arched at the end, not unlike that of the Hoopoe, and black ; head 

 brownish ash-colour at top; neck behind, back, and rump fine 

 bluish ash ; breast, belly, thighs, and under tail coverts the same, 

 but darker; throat black, extending some way down the neck; lesser 

 wing coverts rose-colour, the greater the same without, but black 

 within ; greater quills blackish, with whitish tips, the outer edges of 

 most, except the outer ones, rose-colour ; the second, third, fourth, 

 and fifth have two spots of white on the inner web,* on the sixth one 

 white and one fulvous spot ; the rest mostly with a fulvous one ; tail 

 scarcely rounded at the end, consisting of twelve blackish feathers, 

 two inches and a half long ; the eight middle ones plain, the two outer 

 with white ends ; legs black, claws very long and hooked, especially 

 the backward one. 



The female differs only in having the throat and fore part of the 

 neck white, and wanting the black mark on the former. 



Inhabits various parts of the Continent of Europe, but does not 

 appear to be common any where ; said to be found in many parts of 

 Italy. Buffon does not rank it with the birds of France ; yet it 

 is said to be found especially at Auvergne, also at Lyons, though 

 very rarely, and never seen more than two together. 



I cannot learn that it was ever met with in this kingdom. — 

 Is known in Spain, by the name of Paxaco aranero, particularly 

 about Jacca in the province of Arragon. It probably does not inhabit 

 Sweden, yet is sufficiently known in some parts of Germany, and I 

 have received a specimen, killed not far from Vienna. Scopoli men- 

 tions it as a bird of Carniola ; has been observed about the Caucasian 

 Rocks in Asia, but not elsewhere in that neighbourhood ; in short, 

 it seems to be every where a scarce bird. 



In manners it seems to be much like the Common Creeper, feeding 

 on insects, particularly spiders, is probably not stationary any where; 

 Scopoli says, that it migrates singly from Carniola at the end of 



* A feather marked in this manner is figured in Edwards's Plate. 



