INSESSORES.
SCANSORES.
CERTHIADJE.
T H E COMMON C R E E PER .
Certhiajamilians, Famtiiar Creep
Common -
x u o . £<001. V01
The
-Common
, Mown Ornith. Diet,
Bewick, Brit. Birds, vol. i. p. JS2.
, Flem. Brit. An. p. 88. ’
» if - S elby, Brit. Ornith.-Vol. i. p. 388/
a ' - » J evyns, Brit. Vert. p. 152,
» ,, Gould, Birds of Europe, pt. xix,
J> Grimpereau, Temm. Man.d’Ornith. vol.i. p, 410.
Generic Characters.—Beak of moderate length, curved downwards, slender,
and pointed; tongue short; nostrils basal, lateral, the orifice longitudinal^
elongated, partly covered by a membrane. Wings of moderate length; the first
feather very short, the fourth feather the longest in the wing. Tail-feathers
long, stiff, pointed, and slightly curved downwards, Feet with “three toes be.
fore, one behind ; the claws long, curved, and sharp j the outer toe united by a
membrane to the middle toe at its base.
T he little Common Creeper, with the Wren, the Golden
Crests, and the Chiff Chaffs, are among the smallest of our
British Birds; and the first of these, the subject of the present
article; though rather numerous as a species; is not very
readily distinguishable in its natural haunts when climbing
the trunks and branches of trees, partly from the small size
and brown colour of the bird itself, and partly from its habit,
when approached, of shifting round to the opposite side of
the. stem, like the Woodpeckers. The little Creeper, aided
by its long, curved, and sharp claws,■ and assisted also by
twelve rather elongated and stiff tail-feathers, is an excellent
climber, funning rapidly in any direction over the rough bark,
searching for small insects of all sorts, picking' them out of
the various crevices with its slender beak, and having traced
its course over one: tree,, takes flight to the next for the same
purpose, generally beginning low down towards the base-of
the. tree. This bird inhabits groves, plantations, and parks,
appearing to be partial to the examination, in rapid success
sion, of a number of trees planted near each other, as when
forming an avenue.-^;;
The Creeper makes its nest in a hollow tree, generally for
security choosing one with a very small external aperture,
'but sometimes forming its nest on the inner side of the loose
bark of a decayed tree: the vignette at the end exhibits an
instance of a nest of this latter sort, for the opportunity of
figuring which I am indebted to the kindness of T. F . Ro-
binson, Esq. of Havering Atte* Bower, Essex: the nest was
taken on the estate attached to the Bower House. It is sup»
ported on the inner surface of a thiek piece of the bark of an
elm which has been detached from the tree, and thus affords the
view of the nest here given. The nest itself is formed on the
outer surface with small twigs, within which there is a thick
layer of fine grass mixed up and lined with black wool, and a
* ? Havering Alte—fromitshigh and commanding situation. ‘