Brewster on the American Brown Creeper. 
199 
108. Larus californicus, Lawrence. California Gull. — Upper 
Klamath'Lake, November, 1875 (McElderry). 
109. Hydrochelidoa nigra (Linne Black'Tern. — No. 56, ad., 
spring of 1875. . 
110. Colyn$>us torquatus, Briinn. Loon; Great Northern 
Diver. — Hospital list (McElderry). 
111. Colymbus arcticus pacificus. Lawrence .-— Pacific Black- 
THROA'fED Diver. — Hospital list ( McElderry ). 
BREEDING HABITS OF THE AMERICAN BROWN CREEPER 
(CERTHIA FAMILIARIS AMERICANA ). 
BY WILLIAM BREWSTER. 
In his interesting article on the American Brown Creeper, in 
the Bulletin for April, 1879, Dr. Brewer calls our attention to the 
recent occurrence of several nests of that species, which were placed 
within loose scales of semi-detached bark, at the same time stating 
it to be his opinion that this mode of nesting is the one most com¬ 
monly followed by the . American bird. Some further evidence 
tending to confirm this view of the case is offered in the following 
number of the Bulletin by Mr. Egbert Bagg, Jr., who notes the 
finding of a nest similarly constructed in Hamilton County, New 
York. 
These data cast a new light upon a previously obscure subject, 
although the fact that the American Creeper sometimes nests behind 
the loose bark of trees is by no means a novel one. As long ago as 
1864 Mr. Allen described* a riest so placed, which had been exam¬ 
ined by him in Springfield, Mass. This account, although quoted 
by both Samuels and Minot, seems to have been generally ignored 
in most of our recent standard works on ornithology, nor does Dr. 
Brewer refer to it in any way in the course of his article, although, 
in addition to being our earliest record of the breeding of the 
species in Massachusetts, it was apparently the first published de¬ 
scription of what, it now appears, is the Creeper’s characteristic 
manner of nesting. 
Being greatly interested in the subject, I paid a good deal of 
