478 



SCANSOEES, OE CLIMBEES. 



has recourse to its strong beak : striking the tree with redoubled 

 blows, it cuts the bark, breaks an opening, and seizes the coveted 

 prey. It often also strikes with its beak to sound the tree, and 

 assure itself that there is no cavity in the interior which would 

 serve as a refuge for its prey. If the trunk is hollow, it examines 

 all parts to find the entrance to the cavity. When it has dis- 

 covered it, it introduces its tongue ; and if the canal is not 

 large enough to permit it to explore the hiding-place with suc- 

 cess, it increases the size of the aperture. It is not only to seek 



for food that Woodpeckers 

 make holes in trees, but 

 also to establish their nests. 

 Some species, it is true, 

 select the anfractuosities 

 which they find, but others 

 hollow out their resting- 

 places according to their 

 tastes. When such is the 

 case, they inspect soft-wood 

 trees, such as the beech, 

 aspen, &c., to ascertain those 

 that are decayed in the 

 interior. When they have 

 made their choice, the male 

 and female peck the bark off 

 the tree by turns, and do not 

 cease to labour till they have 

 reached the decayed portion. 

 The cavity which they bore 

 is generally so oblique and 

 so deep that perfect darkness must surround them. It is doubt- 

 less a measure of security against the little mammals, especially 

 the rodents, the natural enemies of their family. The female 

 deposits her eggs upon a bed of moss or the dust of worm- 

 eaten wood. The young birds grow slowly, and receive in the 

 nest the care of their parents for a long time. In general they 

 have little voice, or only utter disagreeable cries. At breeding- 

 time they frequently employ a language peculiar to theru- 



Fig. 197- Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers (Picus 

 minor, Q-ould). 



