BIRDS. 



547 



men to stores of wild honey. Strange, and almost fabulous, as this seems, 

 the story is well authenticated. One writer gives an account which we 

 here condense. The bird had been flying almost in the faces of his party 

 as they were making a journey in the Transvaal. The negro boys were 

 paying it considerable attention, and at last the head of the party learned 

 that this was the far-famed honey-bird. As soon as the oxen were out- 

 spanned, the whole party set out in pursuit of the bird. It led them on 



Fig. 449. — Three-toed woodpeckers (Picoides tridactylus) of Europe. 



from tree to tree for nearly a mile, and at last flew exactly to a tree, 

 where, after a little looking, the party found traces of a nest of bees. 

 One of the party climbed the tree, and lighting a bunch of dried grass, 

 struck the trunk. Out flew the bees, and their wings were quickly singed, 

 and then a few blows of the axe laid bare the comb, a piece of which was 

 left on a bush as a reward for the bird. 



The woodpeckers, the central members of the picarian birds, are a host 

 in themselves, some three hundred and fifty strong. Their habits are well 

 known and are essentially similar throughout the whole series. All pick 

 the wood in their search for larvae ; all have the stiffened tail-feathers to 



