WOODPECKERS. 423 



siclered our extreme stupidity, and flapped its little wings and redoubled the shrill 

 cries which it had ceased to utter while leading us to the spot. At last, losing all 

 patience, it actually settled on a piece of the stem of one of the trees it had been 

 persistently flitting backwards and forwards in front of. The boys, now paying more 

 attention to this particular tree, perceived just above where the bird had perched a 

 small hole, and round it a kind of cement. While we were watching, a bee flew out, 

 which made it certain that the nest was' within the trunk. The driver of Woodward's 

 wagon, who was an old hand at the work, at once climbed up the tree with a hatchet, 

 and under his direction the others collected armfuls of dried grass. Taking a large 

 handful of this, he lighted it, and then struck with the hatchet at the mouth of the 

 narrow hole. At the first blow a quantity of mud, wax, and decayed wood fell to the 

 ground, with which the bees had skilfully walled up a large portion of the decayed 

 wood. Out swarmed a cloud of bees, and now his burning grass carne into operation. 

 As quickly as they flew out their wings were singed in the flames, and they dropped 

 helpless to the ground. A. and myself had retreated to a safe distance from the tree ; 

 but the boys stood close up, hardly caring if they were stung or not. In a very few 

 minutes, all the occupants of the nest were destroyed ; but new comers were con- 

 stantly arriving, which made close quarters anything but pleasant. Not much cutting 

 was necessary to lay bare a large portion of the combs, which were laid horizontally 

 across the entire width of the hollow portion of the tree. 



" Before leaving we carefully fixed a comb filled with honey on the nearest bush, 

 and our late guide flew down and commenced his well-earned repast as soon as we 

 had turned our backs on the spot. The Kafirs would much prefer not to take any 

 honey at all, than depart with their spoil and not leave a portion for the bird. They 

 firmly believe that if they thus defraud the bird of its just rights, it will follow them 

 up, and at a future time, instead of leading them to honey, will entice them into the 

 lair of a lion, or to a nest in which some deadly snake lies concealed." 



The honey-guides lay white eggs, and it is stated, of some of the species at least, 

 that they are parasitic, like the cuckoos. 



" Considering the method adopted by the woodpeckers for obtaining their food, it 

 is hardly surprising that they possess cranial features peculiar to themselves ; for it 

 is scarcely conceivable that the head, the most delicately constructed portion of the 

 body, should be employed as a powerful hammer or axe, whose strokes can be heard 

 at a considerable distance, without some modifications in structure which would assist 

 in increasing its efficacy for the purpose." 



To these words of Professor Garrod, as an introduction to the family PICID^E, we 

 wish to append certain statements of Professor W. K. Parker, the result of his studies 

 cf the embryological development of the ' saurognathous ' palate. Huxley had already 

 characterized the palate of the woodpeckers, or Celeomorphre, according to his 

 nomenclature, as " exhibiting rather a degradation and simplification of the aegitho- 

 gnathous structure." This Professor Parker corroborates from an embryological 

 standpoint, saying: "The view there expressed, that these birds have a passerine 

 foundation, but that they are somewhat abortively developed, arrested one way and 

 wonderfully specializod in another, will be seen to be the exact truth of the matter. 

 The fact is, they are like early embryos of the Passerinae, in their palatal region 

 arrested at a most simple and lacertinn stage, whilst in other respects they are meta- 

 morphosed and specialized beyond any other kind of birds." 



The above quotations supplement each other in a manner which affords us the 



