t;i;t:t:.\ \\<>m>i 



bark ... dL-s his way into tii.- trunk, for the .sound and healthy tree is the least object of hi* 

 all. -mi. Hi. 'I'll.- diseased, hastening (.. putrefaction, infest. -d \\itli insects, are his favorites. 

 i. .ram-.- :ni'l prejudice stul. Ud-iily persist in din-ctinir their indignation against tli.- )>iid now 

 l-fore us, (I,. . .,t aiid iinii-(;d ."I. -ins i.f those very M-niiin " 



Tliis l.ird is .seldom seen ;i l. principal hnbitttt being in the Gulf State*. 



It is Hut muiatoi \ . 



In tli.- South it is call.-d I^cock, and tin- I'il.-ated Wootlj--. k.-r in confounded with, or 

 they are called respecti\>-l\. (uvat.-r and l>-s^-r l/.i^-.H-k. 



In-. Hrewer says: "When wounded this i.ird iinni.-diat.-ly mak.-s f,.r the nearest tree 

 and ascends it \\iihgreatnipiditv. until it reaches ill.- r,,|, I. ranches, when it squat.s and hides, 

 generally with ^reat effect. Whilst ascending it niox.-s spirally an.uml th,- tn.-. utters Us 

 loud pail, patty at almost every hop, hut lH-.-nm.-s silent the inonient it reach.-* a place where 

 it conceives itself secure. Th.-y sometimes climj to the bark with their claws so firmly as to 

 remain crumped to the spot several hours after death. Th.-\ .strike with great violence, and 

 intli.-t .severe wounds with both bill and claw." 



Tin I'M i \ i KI Wooni'KrKKi: {Ift/lotnmiis />if,.i/> f x) is nearly as larRe as the Ivory-billed. 

 II- is ill,- ^r.-at nnrth.-rn <-hi-f of his tribe," though his range ext.-mls f r ..in Canada to the 

 Gulf of Mexico. In the high timber lands of Northern New York h- is abundant. In Penn- 

 sylvania he is called the Black Woodcock ; in the Soutln-rn States the Logcock. 



Like t he preced i ii s|(.-.-i.-s, he is eminently M-mct-aM.- in removing noxious insects from 

 the forest trees. He is not migratory, but braves tli>- <-\t rentes of the colder regions und the 

 tropics. It is rare to see more than two or three together. 



The general color of his plumage is a dusky brownish-black ; the head is ornamented with 

 a conical cap of scarlet, and the scarlet moustaches proceed from the sides of the lower man- 

 dible. The eye is a bright golden color. 



THE BANDED THREE-TOED WOODPECKER (Picoidc* tridactylu*) is an extremely rare bird 

 in the United States, and little is known of its habit*. Its range is through the Arctic regions 

 of America, and southwards in winter as far as Massachusetts. Mr. Welch, of Lynn, Massa- 

 chusetts, took some specimens in the hitter place. This is the most southern limit known for 

 the species. 



A variety is known as rather common in the Rocky Mountains. 



THE commonest of the Woodpeckers is that which is generally known by the name of the 

 GREEK WOODPECKER. It has, however, many popular titles, such as Rain-bird, Wood-spite, 

 Hew-hole, and Wood-wall. This bird is a representative of the Gecinac, or Green Woodpeckers. 



Although the Green Woodpecker is a haunter of woods and forests, it will sometimes 

 leave those favored localities, and visit the nci^hl>orhood of man. The grounds near houses 

 are rather favorite resorts of this pretty bird, and I once jerfnrm-d something of a cruel feat 

 by flinging a brickbat at a Green Woodpecker, without the least idea of hitting it, and crush- 

 ing its legs with the edge of the brick. I do not think I ever threw a stone at a bird after- 

 wards, and though the event happened some yean ago, I have never forgiven myself for it. 



The name of Rain-bird has been given to this species because it becomes very vociferous 

 at the approach of wet weather, and is, as Mr. Yarrell well observes, " a living barometer to 

 good observers." Most birds, however, will answer the same purpose to those \\ho know how 

 and where to look for them. The other titles are equally appropriate, Wood-spite being 

 clearly a corruption of the (J.-nnan term sjM-.-ht." Hew-hole speaks for itself; and Wood- 

 wall is an ancient name for the bird, occurring in the old English poets. 



This species, although mostly found on trees, is a frequent visitor to the ground, where it 

 finds an abundance of food. Ants' nests are said to form a great attraction to the Green 

 Woodpecker, which feasts merrily at the expense of the insect community. During the 

 autumn, it also lives on vegetable food, being especially fond of nuts, whirh it can crack with- 

 out any difficulty by repeated strokes from its bill. The nest of this Woodpecker is, like that 



