WOODPECKERS. 



147 



Fig. 59 shows a Scots pine stump attacked by woodpeckers 

 in search of insects. 



The tongue of woodpeckers, owing to its construction, is ex- 

 tremely useful in the search for insects ; it is very long and thin, 

 and is furnished near the tip with a few stiff barbs pointing back- 



Fig. 59. Scots pine stump visited by woodpeckers. 

 (After Altum.) 



wards. The cornua of the hyoid bones, which support it, curve 

 round the back of the head to its upper surface, terminating in 

 a cavity in the bones of the beak, and their mobility and great 

 length allow the tongue to be freely extended. The woodpecker 



a Head of woodpecker (Picus canus, Gmel). b Tip of tongue with barbed hairs. 

 h Cornua of the hyoid bone. x Opening in the maxilla for 

 n Nostril. the cornua. 



o Ear. 2 Tongue. 



s Salivary gland. 



darts its tongue into cracks in the bark, using the barbs for 

 detaching the insects, which are captured by adhesion to the 

 slimy surface. The spotted and ground woodpeckers hunt in 



L 2 



