Tin -irr.it <>ni>i-KCfgR. 



>.>ti 



th- 



is4,ii 



Piwmly tli.- W.M-i , i: .y be seen coming very cautiously round th* tree, 



MM.) ih. -I-.-, i it.s.lf that tli.- coast is clear, and UtttD, after a fi- |,r.-liii.iimry tapa, 



will s.-t xi-un.iisly to work. So mpidh ,1,, the blown follow . -... h ..d,. ,. that th.- li.-ad' 

 bird wftiis to IH- \ limiting <>n a ^.iti'-. ati<l tin- sound an .nily U . ,| |,\ ||,,. ,-,,in 



aliva.U nuwl>, nanuly, a watrlmuin'M i-ntl.- rhij.H :m ,| |, :lt k tl\ in .-MTV .linvtion. IIIK! 

 th.- tree be an ..1.1 ,,n, whole ht-aps of bark will be discovered at the foot. 1U ..f u 



-.mall t.-l.->4-.,j.. th,- t.muu.- can be seen tlni-fetl out occaaionullv. l.ut th.- i.i.-\,-in.-nt la m 

 quirk, that unless the attention of the obnnrver be eapwuJly .lirvrted towanls it, ). will fail 

 t<> noli.-.- it. 



The Woodpecker haa several modes of tapping the trees, which can be readily distin- 

 guished by a practised ear. Kirxl tli.-rv i .-liminary tap ami tin- ni|.i.l hirring strokes 





already described, when the bird i engaged in seeking its food. Then there is a nmoas 

 kind of sound made 1>\ ]>u>-liing its beak into a < ra.-k, and rattling it in such a manner against 

 the wood, that the insects think th.-ir house is falling, and run out to escape th- irni--n<linK 

 danger, just as worms come to the surface wlii-n tin- irmund is agitated by a spade or fork. 

 Li-il\. then- is a kind of drumming Hound mad.- ly strikinj: the bill against some hollow 

 tree, and used together with th- jH-uliar <-rv fr tin- imriH.s.- ,,f .-ailing its mate. 



Although tli.- Woodpeckers were fonm-rly murh pcrsecut.-d. und-r th id* th:it they 

 kill.-<l the trees by j>rkini: h..l.>s in tin-in, th.-y an- most useful IJrds, rutting aw:, 

 ing wood, as a surgeon n-mov*-* a gangrened spot, and eating the hosts of insects whirh 

 encamp in dead or dying wood, and would soon Liiiu th,- wliole tree to the ground. Th. > do 

 not ...ntine themselves to trees, but seek th,-ir food wherever they can find it, searching old 



Vol. 0.-S1 



