easy victim to dangers which stalk at noon day. The name given 
to this bird in Bengal is Latkan “pendent” owing to its partiality 
to sleeping head downwards, gripping firmly the twig, above. These 
birds are social and gregarious, extremely active in their wild state 
and fly swifty when on migratory journeys. 
Famity PICIDAE ( Woodpeckers) 
This is another interesting and typical family of Scansores or 
climbing birds—of arboreal habits. On several occasions I have 
noticed these birds being mistaken in their preserved condition for 
kingfishers. So unobservant an error, would never have occurred 
on seeing them in their wild state, amidst their natural surroundings 
in the forest, for two more different birds in habits, food and cha- 
racteristics, it would be difficult to meet in native haunts of each. 
One loves the roaring, rushing torrents whilst the other prefers to 
have such places at a little distance: a sort of soughing and sighing 
echoes of the forest. Woodpeckers though not impartial to having 
their silvan retreats beside the cheerful murmur of the rivulets or 
the wilder music of many waters, they usually seek out deep shady 
glades of ancient oaks and other timber trees, with broken weather- 
beaten boles, which form choice hunting grounds for many a lurking 
termite, insect or larve. Woodpeckers are master climbers, up a 
perpendicular trunk of a tree, they go with ease and facility, hold- 
ing on with their strong toes and claws, whilst the clock-work 
regularity, tapping with their long, pointed wedge like bills, never 
misses the smallest crevice. This merry fok-tok, fok-tok tapping 
can be distinctly heard, proceeding from the big tree above you, 
in the silent depth of the forest, where, perchance, you may have 
rested, for a brief breathing space, before proceeding on your tramp 
again. Should you catch sight of the tiny little Woodpecker, at 
its untiring labours, you will notice, that, it takes up each section 
of the tree in turn. Up and up it goes briskly, devotedly and 
vigorously at its work, as though it were propelled by some unceas- 
ing impetus, or a moral task of ridding trees of destructive enemies. 
As it taps, it holds tightly on, with the strong feet, nature has pro- 
vided it with, in pairs, excepting the curious three toed genus 
Chrysonotus a ‘striking analogy to Ceyx tridactyla, the Three-toed 
Purple Kingfisher. Tail of Woodpeckers, you will notice is fairly 
rigid, with elasticity, feathers are frayed at the ends. The last 
vertebra disklike ; and compressed in shape, candal vertebrae is move- 
able. The Woodpecker makes good use of its tail, which is a 
