44- C E R T H I A, 
der incurvated bill, which is of a more lengthened and 
tharper form than that of the humming-bird, which is 
fliglitly inflated at the tip ; the wings cf the creepers are 
longer, and their tail contains twelve quills, while that of 
the humming-bird has only ten 5 and, laftly, the tongue 
of the creepers is not like that of the humming-birds, 
compofed of two cylindrical half-tubes, which joined to¬ 
gether form an entire tube, and is properly an organ of 
refpiration, and more analogous to the feeler of an infedl 
than the tongue of a bird. 
As the creepers live upon the fame infers with the 
woodpeckers, the nuthatches, and the titmice, and can¬ 
not, from the defeft of their bill, extrafl the infedls lodg¬ 
ed under the bark, they follow thofe birds, which they 
make their providers, and dexteroufly fnatch the little 
prey. And, fince infefts are their principal fubfiftence, 
we may readily luppofe that the fpecies are more prolific 
and varied in hot climates, where fuch provifion abounds, 
than in the cold or temperate, which are lefs favourable 
to the multiplication of infedls. 
1. Certhia Familiaris, or common creeper; is nearly 
as fmall as the crowned wren, and is perpetually in mo¬ 
tion : but the fcene of its adtivity is extremely limited ; it 
never migrates, and its ordinary abode is the hole of a 
tree. From this it emerges in purfuitof the infedls har¬ 
boured in the bark and the mofs; and there the female 
breeds and hatches. The hen generally lays from five to 
feven eggs ; they are cinereous, with points and ftreaks of 
a deeper colour. They hatch early in the fpring, being 
neither obliged to conllrudt its neft, nor to migrate. The 
throat of the common creeper is pure white, but generally 
alTumes a rufty tint, which is always deeper on the flanks 
and the remote parts (fometimes all the under fide of the 
body is white), the upper fide variegated with rufous, 
with white, and with blackifh; and tliefe colours vary in 
their brightnefs and intenfity, according to the age of the 
bird: the head is of a darker call; the ring about the 
eyes, and the eyebrows, white; the rump rufous; the 
quills of the wings brown, the three firft edged with grey, 
the fourteen following marked with a whitifh fpot, which 
forms on the wing a tranfverfe bar of the fame colour; 
the three laft marked near the tip with a black fpot be¬ 
tween two white ones : the bill is brown above, and whi¬ 
tifh below; the leas grey; the ground of the feathers 
deep cinereous. _ 
There is a variety of this fpecies called the great creep¬ 
er. It differs only in fize; its ceconomy, its plumage, 
and its ftrudlure, are the fame as in the common creeper. 
Thefe birds are frequent in England, and inhabit Ameri¬ 
ca, as well as the old continent. 
1. Certhia Muraria, or wall creeper. The various mo¬ 
tions that the preceding fpecies performs on trees, this 
performs on rocks and old walls; where it climbs, hunts, 
and breeds. Kramer remarks, that thefe birds haunt the 
maufoleucns of the dead, and have been known to depofit 
their eggs in human fculls. Though they are larger than 
the common creepers, they are equally lively and adtive : 
flies, ants, and fpiders, are their ufual food. It inhabits 
Auftria, Silefia, Switzerland, Poland, and Italy. They 
keep in pairs, like moft birds that feed on infedls; and, 
though folitary, they are neither weary nor melancholy : 
fo certain it is, that cheerfulnefs depends more on the ori¬ 
ginal difpofition, than on the enlivening influence of foci- 
ety ! In the male, there is a black mark under the throat, 
which extends to the fore part of the neck, and diflin- 
guilhes the fex : the upper fide of the head and body is of 
an afli colour, the under fide of a deeper call ; the fmall 
fuperior coverts of the wings, a beautiful red. It is chiefly 
cinereous, with a fulvous fpot on the wings. 
3. Certhia Spanata, or red-breafted creeper.—The fong 
of this bird is faid to referable that of the nightingale. 
The head, the throat, and the fore part of the neck, are 
variegated with fulvous and gloffy bine, changing into vi¬ 
olet ; the upper fide of the neck and of the body, in the 
fore part, purplifli chefnut, and in the lvind part violet 
changing into gold green: the final! coverts of the wing? 
the fame ; the middle ones brown, terminated with pur- 
plilh chefnut ; the under fide of the body crimfon ; the 
upper fide chiefly purple. 
4. Certhia Pufilla, or little Indian creeper.; white 
below, and brown above, with fome refledlions of copper 
colour; it has a brown ftreak between the bill and the 
eye, and bright white eye-brows : the quills of the wings 
are of a deeper brown than the back, and edged with 
lighter colours ; the quills of the tail blackilh, the outer- 
moll terminated with white ; the bill and legs, brown. It 
is only three inches and a half in length ; the bill, eight or 
nine lines. 
5. Certhia Senegalenfis, or Senegal creeper ; hath a 
gold, green, head and throat, and a red breall. Its back, 
and the fmall quills of the wings, violet black ; its rump 
and tail like burnilhed Heel, and verging on greenifli; and 
the inferior coverts of the tail are of a dirty green. 
6. Certhia Philippina, or philippine creeper. Its lead¬ 
ing colour is greyilh,with a greenifli call; the two middle 
tail quills very long : on the throat and the upper fide of 
the head is a brilliant gold green, heightened with copper 
reflections: on the breall and the fore part of the neck is 
a beautiful Aiming read, the only colour which is feen in 
thofe parts when the feathers are quite regular and com¬ 
pofed : each of the feathers, however, confilts of three dif¬ 
ferent colours, black at its origin, gold green at its mid¬ 
dle, and red at its extremity; a proof that to deferibe the 
tints of the feathers is not fuflicient to give an accurate 
idea of the colours of the plumage. Itslength isfive inches. 
7. Certhia Clialybea, or collared creeper; native of 
the Cape of Good Hope. Its head is of a gold green, 
waving with role copper; extending over the throat, and 
all the upper fide of the body ; it borders alfo the inter¬ 
mediate quills of the tail, which are of a glofly purple ; not 
changeable on the fuperior coverts. The break is marked 
with red, forming a fort of cinfture whofe upper edge is 
contiguous to the collar, or bar, of blue Heel colour, wav¬ 
ing with green : the reft of the under fide is grey, with 
fome yellow fpeckles on the top of the belly; and on the 
flanks : the quills of the wings are of a brown grey : 
length, four inches and a half. This bird fings, and lives 
on infedls, and drinks the juices of flowers. 
8. Certhia Zeylonica, or ceylonefe creeper. Its moft 
confpicuous colour is a deep and brilliant azure, which 
fpreads below the neck, and on the throat; it has a beau¬ 
tiful green cap ; the under fide of its body is yellow ; all 
the upper fide, including the fuperior coverts of the wings, 
are ferruginous, or dull olive, and the fame colour bor¬ 
ders the quills of the tail and of the wings, and alfo. their 
great coverts : length, four inches. 
9. Certhia Olivacea, or olive creeper. The upper part 
of the body, including the coverts of the wings, is of a dull 
olive green, darkeft on the crown of the head, and the 
fame colour borders the quills of the wings and of the 
tail : all thefe quills are brown ; the orbits are white; the 
throat and the under fide of the body, dun grey: it 
is nearly as large as the common creeper. 
10. Certhia Currucaria, or grey creeper. The upper 
fide of the body is dun grey, and the under fide yellow- 
Ifh ; the breall darker: there is a deep violet bar, which 
riles from the throat and defeends. along the neck: .the 
coverts of the wings are of a Heel colour, and the fame 
borders the quills of the tail, the reft of which are black- 
ifh : the lateral ones are terminated with dirty white; the 
quills of the wings, brown ; the tail quills equal ; the 
bill is llronger than in the other creepers, and the tongue 
terminated by two threads. 
11. Certhia Jugularis, or fmall philippine creeper. It 
is brown grey above, and yellow below ; and has a violet 
collar; the quills of the wings are brown grey, like the 
upper fide of the body; thole of the tail are deeper brown ; 
the two outermoft tipt with yellow. This bird is much 
finaller than the former, which it much relembles in 
plumage, 
i>, Certhia 
