Woodpeckers 587 



adapted for cutting wood, and strong legs, feet, and claws, by means of 

 which they readily cling to and run about the trunks and limbs of trees. 

 In the matter of climbing certain of them are greatly assisted by their tails, 

 the twelve feathers (apparently only ten, since the outer pair is aborted or 

 much abbreviated) of which have the shafts stiff and spiny, and serve to 

 keep the body pressed close to the trunk; in other cases the feathers of the 

 tail are soft and more like those of ordinary birds, in which case the birds 

 do not climb about trees to any great extent. One of the most marked peculiar- 

 ities of Woodpeckers is shown in the structure of the tongue, this being in some 

 respects more modified than in any other birds. It is very extensile and may 

 be protruded to an astonishing length in some species. To accommodate this 

 long tongue the supporting bones slide backward into a sheath, which is carried 

 around the back of the skull, meeting on its summit, and continuing on toward 

 the forehead. Mr. F. A. Lucas, who has made a special study of the tongues 

 of Woodpeckers, says that in other long-tongued birds, as the Hummingbirds, 

 for example, the bones of the tongue may pass around the base of the skull and 

 even reach to the base of the bill, but in the longest-tongued Woodpeckers these 

 bones, after reaching this point, turn to the right, pass through the right nasal 

 opening, dipping under the nostril, and then continue quite to the tip of the bill. 

 This is of course the extreme possible length the tongue can attain without a 

 further elongation of the bill. The tongue at its tip is more or less worm-like 

 and provided with barbs or minute points, although occasionally it is smooth. 

 It is often provided, also, with a sticky secretion, which is of great assistance in 

 picking up insects, ants, etc., and is usually a character of the ground-haunting 

 forms. In the latter group the bill is not as strong as in the wood-cutting species, 

 since most of their food is obtained on the ground. As further characters it 

 may be mentioned that the tails are usually more or less wedge-shaped, and the 

 rather pointed wings are of moderate size, with ten primaries and from ten to 

 thirteen secondaries. The prevailing colors of the plumage are black, white, green, 

 red, and yellow, variously disposed, but frequently with spots and bars. Many 

 species are provided with splendid crests, often of brilliant scarlet, a color not 

 infrequently present on the back and lower parts. Down feathers are not pres- 

 ent in either adults or young. 



Habits. Woodpeckers are rather solitary birds, being, perhaps, most fre- 

 quently observed as individuals, although before the young have left the fostering 

 care of the parents, family parties are common, and frequently several of the 

 smaller forms may be found in attendance on the miscellaneous assemblages of 

 small birds often met with in the woods. While among them are some of the 

 tamest of birds, they are ordinarily shy, even in localities where they are not 

 persecuted, and when an intruder appears, they are usually quick to place the 

 trunk or a large limb between themselves and possible danger, and may then be 

 seen taking sly peeps over the limb, or edging around just fast enough to keep 

 out of sight. Many of the larger species are so shy that they can only be 

 approached with the greatest caution, flying to a great distance when once thor- 

 oughly alarmed. When seeking their food the arboreal species usually begin 



