Cert Ilia f .anericana. 
1396. 
'May 29. 
\ 
June 8. 
-A ll 
Lake limb agog, Maine. Beginning a nest. 
On the way over to Osgood's camp ground I found a Brown 
Creeper's nest under a scale of bark on a small balsam stub a- 
bout 30 yards from the Lake. The female was hard at work tak¬ 
ing strips of the inner bark from an arbor vitae which stood 
only a yard or two from the stub. She took only one at a time 
but they were all large pieces (4 to 6 inches long). She had 
a good dear! of difficulty in getting them in under her bark 
roof and after struggling for a moment with an especially 
heavy piece she dropped it. She regularly made at least one 
trip each minute. I think she was laying the foundations for 
the nest but I did not dare go examine it. 
The male kept close by her the whole time flying with 
her back and forth between the two trees but not offering to 
help her so far as I could see. Both birds eyed me suspici¬ 
ously and I should not be surprised if they deserted this nest. 
It is strange that I have not heard the male singing on the 
point. The Brown Creeper is apparently one of the rarest 
birds of this region this season. 
Visited the nest of May 29th this morning. 4 eggs to¬ 
day. Spent nearly an hour photographing it, Birds not seen. 
Have heard the male singing only once (on June 3) and then he 
sang only two or three times. Have found but this one pair 
this season. / 
TU ofl I . i 
Ck-XT" rLv s ft 
'TtU 
13 
1 
