140 DOWXY WOODPECKER 



within tlie cavity, with his bill warmly tucked 

 away amongst the feathers, which were ruffed 

 up so as to look like a black and white ball, with 

 a red-naped head tucked in the middle. While 

 sleeping, his whole frame heaved at every breath, 

 so profound was his slumber." 



Glancing back over the four Woodpeckers we 

 have taken up — the four commonest of the fam- 

 ily, the Flicker, Eed-head, Dowu}^, and Hairy 

 (Fig. 64, p. 127 ; Fig. 67, p. 131 : Fig. 69, p. 135), 

 — we find it easy to discriminate between them. 

 The Hairy and Downy are the most typical Wood- 

 peckers, living almost exclusively on tree trunks, 

 whose colors they match. The Red-head has more 

 of the Flycatcher habit of hunting, and descends 

 to fences ; while the Flicker is still less of a true 

 Woodpecker, sj^ending most of his time on the 

 ground looking for ants, so having the ground 

 browns on his back in j^lace of the conventional 

 Woodpecker black and white. All four birds 

 nest in tree trunks, as do the Bluebirds, Chicka- 

 dees, and Nuthatches. Like those of the Swifts, 

 the Woodpeckers' tails are stiff and pointed for 

 bracing (see Figs. 212 and 213, p. 353), but the 

 Flicker's is less stiff than those of the other 

 Woodpeckers. Its bill is also modified from the 

 Woodpecker type ; and its tongue, which is one 

 of the longest (see Fig. 6Q, p. 130), is provided 

 with large salivary glands and sharp points on 

 the surface, to which the mucilaginous saliva 

 holds the ants for which it probes. 



