The Wall Creepet 
283 
THE WALL CREEPER, OK SPIDER-CATCHER, 
(Tichodroma muraria,) 
Is larger than a house-sparrow. It has a long, slender, 
black bill ; the head, neck, and back are of an ash-colour, 
the front of the neck and throat being a deep black ; the 
breast is white ; the wings a compound of lead-colour and 
red. It is a brisk and cheerful bird, and has a pleasant 
note. Clefts and crevices of rocks and the walls of old 
edifices are its favourite haunts, and sometimes, but very 
rarely, the trunks of trees. It feeds on insects, and is 
especially fond of spiders and their eggs. The nest is 
made in clefts of the most inaccessible rocks, and in the 
crevices of ruins, at a great height. 
