152 MISCELLANEOUS BIRDS. 



the fact that woodpeckers are insectivorous birds, it might be wondered 

 where they get their food from during our cold North China winters. 

 That they do get insect food is known from the fact that stomachs of 

 these birds, examined in winter have been found full of ants. 

 I once made a rough 1 estimate of the number of ants a 

 woodpecker disposes of in a year, and got a result of nearly three 

 hundred thousand (300,000). This does not include the numerous other 

 insects that go to make up its bill-of-fare. Another thing that doubtless 

 helps these birds through the winter is that at a pinch they can subsist 

 on the kernels of wild apricots and peaches. 



The process usually used in catching insects is to drum upon 

 some infested trunk with the beak. In the case of ants, this is effective 

 in causing the irate and warlike little insects to swarm out of their holes 

 to attack the invader, when they are promptly licked up by the long 

 barbed and sticky tongue. Other insects are literally dragged out of 

 their borings by the same deadly weapon. 



In colour the grey-headed woodpecker is green on the body and 

 wings, grey on the neck and head, with a fine crimson crown and a 

 dark band on either cheek, running from the base of the beak to behind 

 the lower jaw. 



Another closely related species is the Yang-tze green woodpecker 

 (G. guerini), which differs from G. canus in having more black on the 

 nape and head and in being greener throughout. 



The Chinese pied woodpecker (Dendrocopus cabanisi) is another 

 common woodpecker. It is closely allied to the common spotted 

 woodpecker (D. major), but has black instead of white scapulars. The 

 latter bird also occurs. It is black and white on the head, back, wings 

 and tail. The breast is light bro^n or dirty white. The back of the 

 head is crimson, the belly and rump bright rose. 



The rufus bellied pied-woodpecker (Hypopicus poliopsis) resembles 

 the foregoing species, but has a red-brown breast. 



As far as I know the smallest woodpecker in these parts is the 

 spark-headed woodpecker. Its scientific name lyngipicus scintilliccps, 

 seems to suggest some connection with the wryneck (lynx). This pretty 

 little woodpecker is pied above, brown on the breast with black streaks, 

 and has two crimson spots on the back of the head. It is somewhat 

 smaller than a sparrow. 



The next Picarian bird is the wryneck (lynx torquilla), sometimes 

 known as the cuckoo's mate. This little bird appears in spring just 

 before the cuckoo, to which it is closely related. It is of a brown colour 



