THE CREEPERS. 



469 



by an arched beak and a stiff tapering tail. The family compre- 

 hends several genera and sub-genera, of which the principal are 

 the Creepers {Certhia), properly so called, the Wall Creepers {Ticho- 

 droma), the Piculets (Picummis), the Oven Birds (Furnarins) , the 

 Thornbills {Rhamphoniicron), the Sun Birds {Neetarina), 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 trunks or in the natural 



Fig. 189. — Oven Birds. 



hollows of trees : the insects to be found under the bark being their 

 food. Looking at the form of their slender beak, it is difficult to 

 imagine how it can penetrate the hard covering of an oak, for which 

 they exhibit a marked preference. The Common Tree Creeper 

 {Certhia familiaris, Fig. 188) is spread over nearly every European 

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

 droma murarius), called also Wall Climber (the grimpereaic 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 movement of the wings. They feed 

 on insects, and lead a solitary life on the mountains, only descending 



