TWELVE WINTER BIRDS. 255 



small numbers throughout the winter, especially in 

 the southern half of the State. 



All belong to the family Picidce, a word derived 

 from the Latin picus, a " woodpecker." The charac- 

 ters by which each member of this family may be 

 easily known are the stout, straight bill, fitted for 

 hammering or boring into wood; the long, barbed 

 tongue which, like that of the snake or toad, can be 

 darted from the mouth for the purpose of catching 

 insects ; the toes in pairs, two in front and two behind, 

 and armed with strong, compressed claws, thus enabling 



Fig. 71 Zygodactyle or " yoke-toed " foot of woodpecker. 



the bird to get a firm hold upon the trunk or limb of 

 tree ; while the tail feathers are not soft and rounded 

 like those of other birds, but are very stiff and pointed 

 at the end, thus enabling the owner to use the tail as 

 a brace and so keep from toppling over backwards 

 while delivering its rapid and powerful blows. The 

 flight, too, of these birds is peculiar, being a sort of 

 wave-like or undulatory progression, instead of a 

 movement directly forward on one level. 



One of the most interesting of the five species of 

 woodpeckers found in the State throughout the year 

 is the subject of the present sketch. It has a number 



