98 



FOEEIGN BIKDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



many noxious insects and their larvae, a great many 

 of which are gleaned from the ground, as it is far more 

 terrestrial in its habits than any other member of this 

 family. Its beak is frequently covered with soil from 

 digging in pastures after grubs and earthworms, and 

 also in ant-hills after these insects or their larvae, of 

 which it is especially fond ; it also feeds on hairless 

 caterpillars. Different kinds of berries and fruit, such 

 as cherries, apples, persimmons, strawberries, mul- 

 berries, raspberries, wild grapes, dogwood, whortle, 

 poke, and sour-gum berries, and occasionally green 

 corn, are also eaten by it. The damage it does to culti- 

 vated fruits is very trifling, and this bird des-erves the 

 fullest protection. 



" In the northern portions of its range nidification 

 begins about a couple of weeks after the 'birds arrive 

 from the South, and a suitable place is then selected 

 for a nesting site. It orefers open country, interspersed 

 here and there with groves and orchards, to the deeper 

 forests to nest in. It is easily pleased in this respect 

 any old stump, a partly decayed limb of a tree, near 

 the outskirts of a forest, along the banks of a creek, 

 beside a country road, or in an old orchard, will answer 

 the purpose. A fresh cavity is usually excavated every 

 year, but where suitable trees or stumps are not readily 

 available the same may be occupied for several seasons 

 in succession. In the vicinity of Washington, District 

 of Columbia, these birds nest in the oak, ash, chestnut, 

 elm, maple, poplar, willow, and sycamore ; spruce and 

 birches are also used, but, on the whole, softwood trees 

 seem to be preferred to hard ones. In the Southern 

 States it breeds frequently in pines, and in the prairie 

 States it occasionally selects strange nesting sites. 

 Here it has been known to chisel through the weather- 

 boarding of dwelling-houses, barns, and other outbuild- 

 ings, and to nest in the hollow space between this and 

 the crossbeams ; its nests have also been found in gate- 

 posts where both people and stock pass constantly, in 

 church towers, and in burrows of Kingfishers and Bank 

 Swallows in the perpendicular banks of streams." 



" Flickers nest occasionally in natural cavities, and 

 at distances from itihe gnaund varying from 2 feet to 

 60 feett, Font mostly between 10 Ceefb and 20 .feet. Old, 

 rotten stumps and dead or partly decayed trees a,re 

 preferred to Live ones. Tibe entrance-hole is usually 

 2^ inches in diameter, and the inner cavity varies from 

 8 inches to 39 Miches in depth. lit is gradually enlarged 

 toward the bottom, and a layer of fine chips, on which 

 the eggs are deposited, is allowed ito remain. Its 

 flight, although apparently laborious, is strong and 

 swift, and, Hike that off all Woodpeckers, undulating or 

 wave-like. It frequently perches on a limb instead of 

 clinging to it, as do otheir of itihe tribe. In it(he sipring 

 of the year it also .indulges in drumming, but not to 

 tlie sa.me extent as the majority of this family." 



" Nidification an the southern portions of its range 

 begins 'ordinarily Tin 'the las 1 !:, half of (March, and in the 

 North from four to fully six weeks later. Bolth sexes 

 assist in the construction of the nesting site, as well 

 as in incubation, and the male usually does this full 

 share of work at both. According -to Dr. William L. 

 Ralph's observations in Florida, the male usually sits 

 on the eggs during the n.iglht. In the South fresh sets of 

 eggs may (be looked for during the first week in April, 

 in tlhe vicinity o>f Washington, Distract of Columbia, 

 during the first half of May, and in the more northeirn 

 parts of its range, an Alaska and the North-West Terri- 

 tory, albout the first ten days an June." 



" From five to nine eggs are usually laid to a set, 

 mostly six or seven, but .considerably larger ones are 

 Rometime-s found, possibly the product of two females 



laying in the same nest ; but tihe fecundity of this 

 Woodpecker is known to be very great." 



" The eggs of the Flacker are glossy white in colour, 

 and, when fresh, appear as of enamelled ; the shell is 

 very close grained, and exceedingly lustrous, as if 

 polished." "Tlhey are quite variable in shape; the 

 majority are ovate, others short and elliptical ovate, 

 and a iew approach subpyriform, while some a.re nearly 

 perfect ova-Is. An egg is deiposited daily until the set 

 is completed, and incuibation. lasts about fifteen days. 

 This ordinarily does mot (begin uiiit.il the set is com- 

 pleted, but now and then young birds and eggs in dif- 

 ferent stages of advancement are found in the same 

 nest. The young are able to leave their nest in about 

 sixteen days ; they crawl about on the limbs of the 

 tree (for a couple of days before they venture to fly, and 

 return to the nest at night." 



This species first reached the London Zoological 

 Gardens in 1864, and subsequently the Berlin. Amster- 

 dam, and other gardens in fair numlbeirs. Russ observes 

 that it is by no means very rare in the market, (but 

 nevertheless it has Ibeen exceptional for aviculturists 

 to possess it. Under the presenlt protective laws it will 

 be ifiar more exceptional in future. 



STRIPED OR RAYED WOODPECKER (Chloronerpes 

 striatus). 



Above greenish yellow, the back and scapula,ns 

 broadly barred with black ; the rump more narrowly 

 barred ; upper tail-coverts crimson ; wings (black ; the 

 coverts barred and spotted with yellow ; flights with 

 the outer rwelbs spoked with yellow, the inner webs 

 browner and spotted with white; tail blacki&h, 

 browner, and margined externally with sordid white on 

 outer feathers ; nasal plumes, frontal iband, face, chin, 

 and throat dull ashy, browner (behind ; crown and 

 nape crimson ; a large elongated black patch on side 

 of neck, preceded by a patch of yellowish-white ; S'oire- 

 neck and cheat brown passing into yellowislh alive on 

 abdomen, which becomes duller on under tail-coverts ; 

 under wing-coverts dull huffish white ; upper unandiible 

 black ; lower mandible wlhitish horn-grey ; feelfc blue- 

 grey ; irides shiny white. 'Female slightly smaller, 

 duller, and with black crown. Hialb., St. Domingo and 

 Haiti Island. 



I ihave ifailed to find any account of tihe wild life of 

 tihis <sipe.cies, but quote the following account', (by tihe 

 late Dr. Russ, of a pair which he purchased from L. 

 Ruhe, cf Alfold, near Hanover : " During (tihe days in 

 which I lodged tlhe highly-interesting ibirds, the pair 

 proved themselves uncommonly (pleasing, lovable in 

 their entire behaviour, tame and confiding. I would 

 only tco willingly have retained the charming Wood- 

 peckers in my bands if quite extraordinary circumstances 

 had not prevented me namely, the incursion of mice 

 into my (bird-room. Therefore, the Woodpeckers passed 

 into the possession of an enthusiastic aviculturiet 

 abroad Mr. Darviot, of Beaune, in France. Tihis gen- 

 tleman informed me some time alter : ' The Striped 

 Woodpeckers are in good (health, land have already 'be- 

 come quite tame. In my bird -room more than 300 

 different kdnds of ibirds live together, _ towards which 

 the Woodpeckers show themselves neither unsociable 

 nor spiteful. As soon as I enter they fly on to my 

 shoulders or .arms, climb over my clothes, and in this 

 way I can take a walk with them in the garden. In- 

 deed, if they fly away from me on to a tree, they will 

 immediately .return to me when I call them. I never 

 saw more intelligent birds than these ; they even sur- 

 pass the Parrots in this respect.' " 



So far as I can discover, this seems (to be the only 



