. History of British birds : the figures engraved on wood . were found theclaws and other indigeftible parts of infefts of thebeetle tribe; it was alive fome time after beingihot, and walked about ereding its tail and creft ina very plealing manner. The female is faid tohave two or three broods in the year; Ihe makesno neft, but lays her eggs, generally about four or^ve in number, in the hollow of a tree, and fome-times in a hole in the wall, or even on the ground,^uffon fays, that he has fometimes found a foff of mofs, wool, or feathers in the nefls of thefebirds, and fuppofes that, i
. History of British birds : the figures engraved on wood . were found theclaws and other indigeftible parts of infefts of thebeetle tribe; it was alive fome time after beingihot, and walked about ereding its tail and creft ina very plealing manner. The female is faid tohave two or three broods in the year; Ihe makesno neft, but lays her eggs, generally about four or^ve in number, in the hollow of a tree, and fome-times in a hole in the wall, or even on the ground,^uffon fays, that he has fometimes found a foff of mofs, wool, or feathers in the nefls of thefebirds, and fuppofes that, in that cafe, they may|iave ufed the deferted neft of fome other bird. Itsfood confifts chiefly of infe£ts, with the remains ofy/hich its neft is fometimes fo filled as to becomeextremely ofFenfive. It is a folitary bird, two ofthem being feldom feen together; in Egypt, wherethey are very common, they are feen only in fmallflocks. Its creft ufually falls behind on its neck,except when it is furprifed or irritated, and it thenHands ered. BRITISH BIRDS. 125. THE CREEPER. [Certhla familtaris, Lin.—Le GrimpereaUf Buff) Its length is five inches and a half; the body isabout the fize of that of the Wren : Its bill is long,flender, and much curved, the upper one brown,the lower whitilh; eyes hazel; the head, neck,back, and wing coverts are of a dark brown, varie-gated with ftreaks of a lighter hue; the throat,breaft, and belly are of a filvery white ; the rumptawny; the quills are dullcy, edged with tawny,and marked with bars of the fame colour; the tipsare white; above each eye a fmall dark line paf-fes towards the neck, above which there is a lineof white ; the tail is long, and confiits of twelveftiff feathers, of a tawny colour, pointed and forkedat the end; the legs are Ihort and of a brown co- 126 BRITISH BIRDS. lour; the clav/s are long, fharp, and much hook-ed, which enable it to run with great facility on allfides of fmall branches of trees in quell of infedsand their eggs,
Size: 1769px × 1413px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorbeilbyralph17431817, bookdecade1790, booksubjectbirds
