THE OOLOGIST. 



129 



The Woodpeckers. 



1q this fiunily are some of the most 

 beneficial as well as the most interest- 

 ing of our birds. Few birds are be't- 

 ter known, for they not only attract 

 attention by their peculiar notes, 

 but wlieu nearly all other birds 

 are silent tliey make their presence 

 know b}' tapping almost incessantly 

 upon the limbs and trunks of trees. 



When doing this they are not always 

 in quest of food, but seem to delight in 

 drumming upon dead trees. 



This drumming is probal)ly done for 

 the purpose of attracting the attention 

 of others of the'r kind, as well as for 

 amusement. 



It is most frequently heard just Ijc- 

 fore a rain or tliaw in the early sj)ring. 



Althougii the notes of the Woodpeck- 

 ers are compai'atively few in numljer, 

 yet they cannot all be said to be desti- 

 tute of the power of song. 



The Flicker probably has command 

 of the greatest numlwr of notes. 



Many families of our birds are adap- 

 ted to catcliing insects in the air and 

 upon the foilage of trees and plants, 

 but the Woodpeckers alone are adapted 

 to captui'ing those insects and larvae 

 that lurk beneath the bark and in the 

 wood of trees, and which if left un- 

 checked in their ravages would do un- 

 told injury. 



In construction, few birds are better 

 adapted to their habits of life. The 

 shape of tlie body, the formation of the 

 feet, the stitt' pointed shafts of the tail 

 feathers, the chisel-shaped bill, and the 

 long dagger-like tongue with its pecul- 

 iar arrangement of muscles all adapt 

 them to their manner of living. 



Although the greater number of spe- 

 cies are conlined to the woods and for- 

 est, many of them visit our orchards 

 and yards, and umloubtedly save many 

 valualjle trees l>y ridding them of de- 

 structive in.sects. 



When they become aware of the 

 pi'esence of au insect, they find its exact 



location by means of their acute sense 

 of lieariug, and by tapping upon the 

 outside of the tree with the bill. When 

 thus located, it takes but a few strokes 

 of the powerful bill to expose it to 

 view, when it is easily secured by mean 

 of the long extensile tongue. 



From their habit of puncturing the 

 bark of living trees, a number of spe- 

 cies haA'e erroneously acquired the 

 name of Sapsuckers. For what pur- 

 pose they do this, I am unable to say, 

 but it is not for the purpose of securing 

 the sap as many suppose. Their object 

 may be to attract insects to feed upon 

 the sap that they may be more easily 

 cai)tured, or to induce them to deposit 

 their eggs in the crevices left by the 

 healing of the bark, tliej' may return 

 and devour them or the young insects. 



A few of our Woodpeckers are not 

 unfrequently seen in towns and cities, 

 sometimes even nesting there. 



The smaller species often accompanj' 

 the Chickadees, Nuthatches, Kinglets, 

 etc. 



Taken altogether tiiey form a very 

 efficient army for the destruction of in- 

 sects. The Woodpeckers are not all 

 strictly insectivorous. 



A few species, among which may be 

 mentioned the Red-head, seem to pre- 

 fer fruit and grain when it can be had. 



The nest is usually an excavation 

 made by the bird in a dead limb or the 

 dead trunk of a tree, but sometimes a 

 natural cavity is used. 



The eggs are thus secured from the 

 depredations of the Crows and many 

 other enemies, but are sometimes des- 

 troyed by the squirrels. I have fre- 

 quently seen it stated that the Wood- 

 peckers remuve the chips to a distance 

 from the excavation to avoid discovery 

 but by frequent ol)servatious I have 

 found that statement untrue of tlie spe- 

 cies resident iicre. In the wintertime 

 they pass the niglit in excavtions. Tiie 

 eggs are pure wliite in all species, and 

 are from threes lo nine in numl)er. 



They sometimes Ijeci me so stained 



