CHAPTER 



LXXIII. 



The Creeper. 



Certhia familiaris, Lin. ; Le Grimpereau, Buf. 



Description and Character. — The Common Creeper is a 

 small, neatly-formed bird, not much larger than a Kitty 

 Wren. It is a timid little creature in a wild state, and, 

 as it moves with the greatest ease and celerity, and always 

 endeavours to hide itself from the gaze of the public, it is 

 seldom noticed, except by ornithologists and professional 

 birdcatchers. 



In length, a fully-grown specimen measures S^in., the tail 

 being 2Jin. It weighs, when in good condition, 5dr. The bill 

 is long, slender, and much incurvated. The upper mandible is 

 brown^ and the lower one whitish brown. The irides are dark 

 hazel. The head, hind part of neck, back, and wing coverts, 

 are dark brown, variegated with markings of pale brown and 

 black intermixed. The quill feathers of the wings are dusky 

 blackish brown, tipped with white, and margined and barred 

 with yellowish brown ; the rump and tail feathers are tawny, 

 and forked at the end. Over each eye is a thin line of black, 

 and above this, from the gape to the back of the head, is 

 a line of white, forming a sort of elongated eyebrow. The 

 throat, fore part of neck, breast, belly, and vent, are pearly 

 white. The legs are short, and of a brownish grey colour. The 

 claws (three before and one behind) are long, sharp, and 

 much bent, which enables the bird to run along the branches of 

 trees, in quest of insects and their larvae, with ease and facility. 



Habits and Breeding. — The Creeper not only inhabits 



