THE WOODPECKER FAMILY 161 
Oddest of all are the woodpecker tongues. 
They are round, worm-shaped it is called, and ex- 
cept in the genus of sapsuckers, very long. They 
can be pushed out far beyond the end of the beak. 
That is so that they can reach into a deep hole 
for the insects they eat. They have little barbs or 
sharp points on the tip, to catch their prey, and 
they are sticky besides. The tongue of the sap- 
sucker has a brush at the end and is not barbed. 
One of the most notable things about a wood- 
pecker is his bill, which he uses as a drill and 
also to drum with. 
Woodpeckers are made to take care of the 
large limbs and trunks of trees, to get out from 
under the bark the grubs which would kill them. 
They are perfectly fitted for the work. 
As you learn more about birds and beasts, you 
will see that every one is exactly fitted for his 
work in life. A worm is as well fitted to bea 
worm as a bird is to be a bird. How this came 
to be so has long been a study of the wise men, 
and they have not found out all about it yet. 
The largest of this family that is common is 
the GoLDEN-wINGED WOoDPECKER, or FLICKER. 
He is as large as a pigeon. In the Kastern States 
is the golden-wing, in the West and California 
the red-shafted, who differs merely in the dress. 
