. Everyday birds; elementary studies . nough, you will see that whenever hepauses he makes use of his sharp, stiff tail-feathers as a rest — a kind of camp-stool, as itwere, or, better still, a bracket. He is built forhis work; color, bill, feet, tail-feathers — allwere made on purpose for him. He is a native of the northern country, andtherefore to most readers of this book he is awinter bird only. If you know his voice, youwill hear him twenty times for once that you seehim. If you know neither him nor his voice, itwill be worth your while to make his acquaint-ance. When you come upon a litt
. Everyday birds; elementary studies . nough, you will see that whenever hepauses he makes use of his sharp, stiff tail-feathers as a rest — a kind of camp-stool, as itwere, or, better still, a bracket. He is built forhis work; color, bill, feet, tail-feathers — allwere made on purpose for him. He is a native of the northern country, andtherefore to most readers of this book he is awinter bird only. If you know his voice, youwill hear him twenty times for once that you seehim. If you know neither him nor his voice, itwill be worth your while to make his acquaint-ance. When you come upon a little bunch of chick-adees flitting through the woods, listen for aquick, lisping note that is something like theirs,but different. It may be the creepers, for al-though he seems an unsocial fellow, seldom flock-ing with birds of his own kind, he is fond of thechickadees cheerful companionship. To see him and hear his zeep^ you would nevertake him for a songster ; but there is no tellingby the looks of a bird how well he can sing. In. BROWN CREEPER/. Male. 2. Female THE BROWN CREEPER 13 fact, plainly dressed birds are, as a rule, the bestmusicians. The very handsome ones have noneed to charm with the voice. And our modestlittle creeper has a song, and a fairly good one ;one that answers his purpose, at all events, al-though it may never make him famous. Inspringtime it may be heard now and then evenin a place like Boston Common ; but of courseyou must go where the birds pair and nest if youwould hear them at their finest; for birds, likeother people, sing best when they feel happiest. The brown creepers nest used to be somethingof a mystery. It was sought for in woodpeck-ers holes. Now it is known that as a generalthing it is built behind a scale of loose bark ona dead tree, between the bark and the , if not always, it will be found under aflake that is loose at the bottom instead of at thetop. Into such a place the female bird packstightly a mass of twigs and
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1901
