Page:Bird-lore Vol 03.djvu/88

 jBtotes from JTtelti antj ^tuDp The Brown Creeper's Force of Habit My office is on the fifth floor of a building in a thicicly built up portion of Philadel- phia, and not the sort of place where one would expect to see much in the way of birds. But late in the fall, while our winter birds were still coming from the north, a Brown Creeper, exhausted or temporarily disabled, was discovered one cold day hud- dled up in a bunch, lying on the window- sill against the sash of one of my windows. The man who discovered it supposed it to be a kind of mouse, but when I slowly opened the window and gently placed my hand over its tiny form, its head popped up and it at once made itself known. It was apparently too weak to make much of a flight, but the warm room infused new life into the little creature, and after remain- ing on the window-sill a few minutes, he hopped to the end of the sill ami climbed up the varnished sash to the meeting rail, where I saw he was attracted by a fly walk- ing on the glass. He had forgotten his ailments, having been lured away by the appetizing dipter. As the fly kept out of reach, I volunteered assistance, and the Creeper took the dainty morsel from my fingers as contentedly as though he under- stood the situation as well as I did. Food was scarce at that time of the year, and but three or four flies could be found, all of which went quickly down the red lane. Two or three hours later, the bovs put on their coats antl bit! good-night, leaving me until the last. I had actually forgotten all about tlie bird, and would have gone home witJKnit it, had it not for the Hrst time flown across the room and alighted on the lower end of my overcoat just as I was about to close the door behind uie. He had evidently seen his friends anisliiiig, and had liecided at the last moment to re- minii me tiiat he woulii please like to have some more flics. Under the circumstances, I was his onlv source of supply, and this remarkable intelligence so touched me that by the time he had climbed up to my shoulder I placed my hand over him again and decided to make him, if possible, a household pet. All the way home I guarded my pocket vith great care, and upon arriving there and liberating him from his close quarters, he seemed just as tame and natural as ever. I had not hurt him in any way, and he took small pieces of earthworms and flies from my hand without the least fear. His natural habit of always flying down- ward and climbing upward in searching for food was most surprisingly illustrated, for just as in nature, he would fly across the room and invariably alight close to the bottom of the curtain, for instance, and then would make his way gradually to the top, looking for something to eat among the folds. Several times he alighted on my trousers, just above my ankles, and climbed all the way to the top of my head, only to drop ofi^ again to the table cover or one of the chairs. The next morning I brought a stump from the woods, and with healthy vigor he pulled away at the decayed portions and extracted the larva?, etc., that were hiding there. One night I took him to see a friend, and when I let him climb up on to my neck in the car, a man behind exclaimed, "Say, there's a bug on your back I" He was just as much at home in my friend's house as elsewiiere, ami exhii>iteti his characteristic flight, climbing up all tiie curtains, hunting for food as usual. I kept him but three days; and partly because I had not the time to hunt insect footi, and partly because I thought he would be happier free again, I opened the window and let him go. He flew iuunediatelv to a large pine on the lawn, wiiere I soon lost sight of him. — W'm. L. Baii.v, .IrJ- mon I'd. (:.<)