CLASS II. AVES: ORDER 2. PASSERES. 
109 
THE CERTHIN7E OR CREEPERS. 
Beside the true Creepers, some naturalists 
have included various other analogous gen- 
era, such as the Soui-Manga^ Gidtguit, Di- 
cceu77i, JYeciarmia, Melithrejitus, Furnarius, 
&c., under the name of Certhiadce ; we shall 
notice under the term Gerthince only the true 
Creepers. 
Genus CERTHIA : Certhia.—T\i\^ includes 
the Common Creeper or Tree Climber — 
Grimpereau of the French ; Kleinstc Baum- 
Hdcker of the Germans ; Piccio Itampichmo 
of the Italians — C.faviiliaris: this has a bill 
slender, and curved; length six and a half 
inches ; head and neck above, streaked with 
black and yellowish-brown ; a white line above 
1 each eye ; back and rump tawny ; coverts 
dnsky brown and yellowish-white ; breast and 
belly silver-white. It is a most restless and 
active little bird, ever on the alert, and climbing 
up and about the trunks and branches of trees, 
intent on picking up its insect food. But even 
where it is common it is not easily seen, for its 
activity in shifting its position makes it very dif- 
ficult to follow it with the eye. At one instant 
it is before the spectator, and the next is hid- 
den from his view by the intervening trunk or 
branch, to the opposite side of which it has 
passed in a moment. The toes are so con- 
trived that the bird at will can remove their 
the tail feathers at the ends are bare, and operate as a support ; these are beautiful 
adaptations to the peculiar motions of the bird. Its note is monotonous, and often repeated. It 
builds its nest in a hole of a decayed tree ; this is formed of dry grass, lined with small feathers, 
in which six or eight eggs are deposited. While the female sits she is regularly fed by the male 
bird. It is found throughout the continent of Europe, migrating in October to the southern 
parts, but is permanent in Great Britain. 
The American Brown Creeper, C. Americana^ is five and a half inches long; upper part of 
the head deep brown ; back brown ; both streaked with white. This has been supposed to be 
the same as the European creeper, but it is now held to be distinct. Wilson thus describes it: 
"In winter it associates with the small spotted woodpecker, nuthatch, titmouse, &c., and often 
follows in their rear, gleaning up those insects which their more powerful bills had alarmed and 
exposed; for its own slender, incurvated bill seems unequal to the task of penetrating into even 
the decayed wood ; though it may into holes, and behind scales of the bark. Of the titmouse, 
there are, generally present, the individuals of a whole family, and seldom more than one or two 
of the others. As the party advances through the woods from tree to tree, our little gleaner 
seems to observe a good deal of regularity in his proceedings; he alights on the body near the 
root of the tree, and directs his course, with great nimbleness, upward to the higher branches, 
sometimes spirally, often in a direct line, moving rapidly and uniformly along, with his tail bent 
to the tree, and not in the hopping manner of the woodpecker, whom he far surpasses in dexterity 
of climbing, running along the lower side of the horizontal branches with surprising ease. If any 
person be near when he alights, he is sure to keep the opposite side of the tree, moving round as 
he moves, so as to prevent him from getting more than a transient glimpse of him. The best 
THE COMMON CREEPER OF EUROPE. 
position ; 
