BIRDS CLIMBING BIRDS DIAGRAM 4. 69 



The Woodpeckers are insect eaters, and excellent tree climbers. 

 They are known by their straight, strong beak, and by the 

 feathers of the tail, which are always worn at the end, because 

 they rest on them. Their hooked claws cling to the bark, and 

 allow them to run along the 

 trunks of trees, and even under 

 the large branches. Their plum- 

 age is sometimes beautifully 

 coloured. They are naturally wild, 

 and they pass their lives in 

 constant activity. Their tongue 

 is of extraordinary length, and 

 can be thrust out of the beak to 

 a great distance ; they bury it 

 under the bark, and in the holes 

 of the wood, to seize the insects 

 which hide there. The wood- 

 pecker is also accustomed to 

 strike the trunks of trees sharply 

 with its beak, in order to drive 

 out the insects. After each Woodpecker climbing-. 



blow, it runs round the trunk to see if it has succeeded in driving 

 out any grubs or caterpillars from under the bark. It has been 

 stated that it did so after each stroke of its beak, to see if it had 

 pierced the tree from side to side. This is a fable, like so many 

 which have been invented by those who did not fully comprehend 

 the actions of animals. 



