AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY 



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for from fifteen to twenty days and then spend a day or two clambering 

 about the outside of the tree, testing their wings by little flights from 

 one branch to another until they have sufficient confidence in their 

 ability to successfully navigate the air, to launch forth into the world 

 and gain their own livelihood. 



Both parents are very devoted to their eggs and young and, while 

 they generally leave the nest upon the approach of a human being, if it 

 is molested they will return and defend it to the best of their ability. 

 Their food consists chiefly of insects, with side dishes of fruit, berries, 

 and grain. Taken as a whole they may be regarded as very useful 

 birds and they should be well protected as such, as well for their beauty 

 which would make them a welcome addition to any section of the 

 country. About the only serious charge that is brought against them 

 is their habit of boring into telegraph poles and converting these public 

 necessities into dwelling places for their young. The birds have found 

 these very advantageous places to serve as lookout stations and have 

 found that as a rule they are less likely to be disturbed in these loca- 

 tions, so in some sections they are quite generally used and as many as 

 a dozen holes have been found in a single pole, thereby nearly ruining 

 its usefulness. It is said that on some lines nearly all the poles were 

 destroyed thereby entailing quite a loss which was charged up against 

 the woodpeckers, and was the cause of a warfare against them in that 

 section. 



Photo by J. B. Pardoe. 



YOUNG BROAD-WINGED HAWKS. 



