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 twenty^three 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 with white. Dr. Heerman says : " I have not witnessed 

 the following feat, but am assured by many old Califoruians 

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

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

 around with a circle, out of wiiich the reptile, unable to es- 

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

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

 lated venom." 



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

 pecker in the state ; of which two, the Californian (Jlelanerpes 

 formicivorus) and Lewis's [Ifela^ieipes torquatus), are w^orthy 

 of special mention. , 



The Californian woodpecker is called by the Spanish Cali- 

 foruians the carpi/itero, 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 storins: acorns in them for his winter use. The holes are 

 just large and deep enough to hold each an acorn, which 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 pro- 

 tected from the rains, which 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 hmbs 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 will 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- 



