ZOOLOGY. 131 



its home among the bushes. The bird is akin to the cuckoo, 

 ^ and its generic name signifies " ground-cuckoo." Its length is 

 from twenty to twentythree inches, of which twelve are taken 

 up by the tail. The general color is olive-green above and 

 white beneath; the central tail-feathers are olive-brown, the 

 others dark-green — all edged and (except the central two) 

 tipped w^ith white. Dr. Heerman says : " I have not witnessed 

 the follownig feat, but am assured by many old Californians 

 that this bird, on perceiving the rattlesnake coiled up asleep, 

 basking in the sun, will collect the cactus and hedge him 

 around wnth a circle, out of wdiich the reptile, unable to es- 

 cape, and enraged by the prickly points opposing him on every 

 side, strikes himself, and dies from the eifects of his self-inocu- 

 lated venom." 



§ 100. Woodpeckers. — There are eleven species of wood- 

 pecker in the state ; of which two, the Californian [3Iela7ier2)es 

 formicivorus) and Lewis's (Ifelanerpes torquatus), are worthy 

 of special mention. 



The Californian woodpecker is called by the Spanish Cali- 

 fornians the carpintero, or carpenter, because he is in the habit 

 of boring holes with his beak in the bark of the nut-pine, red- 

 wood, Californian white oak, and Western yellow pine, and 

 then storing acorns in them for his winter use. The holes are 

 just large and deep enough to hold each an acorn, wdiich is 

 hammered in so that there is no danger of its falling out. The 

 acorns on the northern side of the trees, where they are joro- 

 tected from the rains, wdiich come from the southward, often 

 keep good for years. The bark of the nut-pine is preferred, 

 probably being softer and more regular in grain than other 

 bark. The holes are bored to within two or three feet of the 

 ground, and to a height of fifty feet — sometimes, but rarely, in 

 the limbs as well as the trunk. From thirty to fifty holes are 

 often found in a square foot. In seasons when or places where 

 acorns are rare, the woodpecker wiU put away hazel-nuts in the 

 same manner. The squirrels often plunder the stores, and then 

 the birds attack the thieves, darting down upon them and peck- 



