58 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 16-Nn. 4 



city as well as in the country, and alon.i; the 

 roads as well as in the woods. 



These Woodpeckers levy on all clas.ses of 

 food. Besides the insects and larvae, in the 

 obtaining of which they are as industrious as 

 any of the family; they are also fond of small 

 fruit and the milky kernels of the Indian corn. 

 In cherry time they become as expert as 

 IloUins in seizing tlie ripe fruit from the slender 

 twi<;s; when the plums, grapes and choke- 

 cherries are in good condition they are on 

 hand ; while late in the fall and early in the 

 spring, frozen ajjples are first rate to fall back 

 on. They are connoisseurs too; wherever I 

 found a Red-headed Woodjjecker, there was I 

 sure of the sweetest and best flavored cherries. 

 When one is surprised in these dei>redatioiis 

 liis presence of mind never deserts him; with 

 one savage stab he impales the best within 

 reach and retreats, prevented from giving vent 

 to liis triumph only by the position of his 

 prey. When the maize is just on the point 

 of maturing they may be seen perched side- 

 ways on the most succulent ears tearing nfE the 

 husks :uid devouring the sweet kernels. They 

 prepare vast hoards of acorns in abandoned 

 holes, simply for amusement it seems, for 

 app:irently no use is made of the provisions so 

 carefully laid away. 



Their cry is rattling and quite loud but not 

 as much so as those of some others. These 

 birds are fond of selecting a place of great 

 resonating power and hammering away to 

 their hearts' content, and therefcn-e are often 

 seen perched on the sides of telegraph poles, 

 houses and fence posts. 



For some reason they are especial ob.iects of 

 fury to the Robin, and it is by no means an 

 unusual sight to see one hotly pursued by a 

 pair of the latter birds. It is very amusing to 

 see the ease and dexterity with which he 

 avoids their rushes, dodging around a fence 

 post just in the nick of time, escaping to the 

 next when too closely pursued, and finally 

 l)lumping into a hole, leaving the mystified 

 Uobins to speculate on his disappearance. 



They are always on hand for a frolic and in 

 companies of six or eight will play by the 

 hour. Often when in pursuit of insects they 

 progress along the tops of large horizontal 

 limbs by a series of hops, but althougli they 

 often alight on the ground for the purpose Of 

 picking up choice morsels, yet I have never 

 seen them searching there as do the Flickers. 

 In .September old and young gather together 

 in a large flock, and by the first of October the 

 bulk have gone south. 



8. Red-bellied Woodpecker (ilcUmerpcs 

 caroUnus). Common in the southern part of 

 the state, these birds reach nearly the limit of 

 their northern range, in Kent County. As a 

 consequence, while not actually rare, their 

 numbers are so small that opportunities for 

 ob.servation on their habits are necessarily few 

 and far between. In migration one can be 

 found occasionally inside the city limits when 

 his habits are much the same as those of the 

 Sapsucker. As summer residents they are 

 always in the depths of the woods, preferably 

 of a somewhat swampy character. They girdle 

 the trunks very much as the Yellow-bellied 

 does and in the proper season doubtless make 

 many a meal of sap. I have seen one insert 

 his bill into the holes. They are very ex- 

 I^editious in their movements; beginning on 

 the larger trunks, one thence proceeds to the 

 limbs and twigs, pausing every few moments 

 to arch his neck and give utterance to his shrill 

 rolling call. This, though not remarkably loud, 

 has great carrying power, and can be heard in 

 the remotest confines of the woods in which 

 they reside. The Red-bellied Woodpeckers 

 though southern in range appear to be more 

 hardy than some of their brochers; only the 

 severest winters can drive them away, and 

 they are generally resident the year around. 



9. Oolden-winged Woodpecker (Cdlajitcs 

 auratux). As is well attested by the variety of 

 names they bear, these share with the Red- 

 heads the honor of being the best known. 

 They are abundant and well distributed, and 

 in scmie portions are residents during mild 

 winters. In that season they go in bands of 

 ten or a dozen foraging the country in all di- 

 rections for enough food to keep them alive. 

 As spring approaches their numbers increase, 

 until by the first of May they are to be met with 

 at every turn. As the season of nesting draws 

 near the antics of the amorous males take a 

 very amusing turn. See yonder coy maiden 

 perched near the top of an old dead stub. 

 Two gallants, the rivals for her affections, are 

 earnestly striving to gain her attention ; each 

 flies around and around the object of his de- 

 votion screaming "to whit, to whit, to whit, 

 to whit, to whit, to I! " Suddenly one alights on 

 the trunk Ijelow the fair la<ly, hopping rapidly 

 up and down, quirking his head comically 

 from side to side. The other, jealous at the 

 first's success, dashes at him with great fury, 

 drives him from his vantage and takes up the 

 position himself. So the affair goes on until, 

 after many fierce battles, the female signifies 

 her preference, and in company with the 



