Ground and Underground Nests 



enable them to cling tenaciously to tr*e bark of any tree, 

 and the stiff quills of the tail feathersf/when pressed against 

 the tree, lend the bird additional support. When on nest- 

 building bent, the first care of the woodpecker is to find 

 wood in suitable condition to be bored. Tapping the tree 

 here and there with their beaks, their search is rewarded 

 ere long by the discovery of what they look for. 



Preferably a spot is chosen where some fungus has done 

 its deadly work of killing the tissues of the tree or, maybe, 

 the end of a broken branch where the wood is already well 

 rotted by the rain. In any event, it is the object of the 

 birds to find a patch of decayed or partially decayed 

 wood. Having done so, the actual engineering work begins. 

 Taking firm hold of the bark with its feet, supporting itself 

 by its stiff tail feathers, the bird plies its sharp beak in 

 pickaxe fashion against the already softened wood. In 

 an incredibly short time a perfectly circular hole is made, 

 also a horizontal tunnel of a few inches in length. At the 

 end of this short tunnel the bird works directly downwards 

 and hollows out a flask-shaped cavity in the tree. At the 

 bottom of the cavity there is a collection of wood chips 

 and shavings, and on these the snow-white eggs are laid. 

 Powerful a bird as the woodpecker is, often and often it 

 completes its labours only to find that its place is usurped 

 by the diminutive wren, who simply turns out the rightful 

 owner and takes possession of the nest. 



Far more interesting are the hornbills, though, as 

 craftsmen, they cannot approach the woodpeckers. They 

 are natives of the tropics of the Old World. They are 

 called hornbills because of their enormously developed 

 beaks, which are of various weird shapes, according to the 

 species. So dreadfully out of proportion do those beaks 

 appear in some species that it seems that their owners 

 must be sadly hampered by so heavy a load ; but, as a 

 fact, though of so unwieldy proportions, and enormously 

 strong, their beaks are fairly light. 



The hornbills have curious and wonderful nesting habits. 



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