BIRD NOTES AFIELD 



their own. They are inhabitants of the bark of the trees, and 

 from morning to night devote themselves to exploring its every 

 cranny and crevice. Note their strong spear beaks; their stiff 

 pointed tails with which to brace themselves against the tree 

 trunk; their toes, two in front and two behind, to give them a 

 firmer hold in climbing ; their thin necks, and bright, alert eyes. 

 What a wonderful adaptation of structure to environment! 

 With sharp, nervous, decisive blows the woodpecker hammers 

 the bark to which he clings. Soon the insect for which he has 

 been probing is dislodged. Quick as a flash the long, slender 

 tongue, which is tucked away as far around as the back of the 

 head, is darted out, and the unlucky grub is impaled upon the 

 barbed tip. 



There is one of our woodpeckers, and this is the common- 

 est species found among our redwoods, which has become 

 famous the world over on account of its curious habit of storing 

 acorns in the trunks of trees. A dead redwood is the favorite 

 receptacle for its store, and I have seen trees of this sort as com- 

 pletely riddled from top to bottom with acorn holes as if filled 

 with a charge of grape shot. When the acorns are in proper 

 condition, the birds will bore holes in the redwoods selected 

 for the purpose, and flying off to the oak trees, return with an 

 acorn of just sufficient size to be firmly lodged in the receptacle 

 prepared. In this manner an entire tree may be filled, but for 

 what purpose observers do not seem to have fully determined. 

 The general opinion is that acorns will in time rot and accumu- 

 late insects, thus furnishing a ready food supply for these far- 

 seeing providers. It is, nevertheless, difficult to understand why 

 this particular species, living as it does in a land of unremitting 

 plenty, should have developed this habit, while other wood- 



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