26 British Birds, with their Nests and Eggs. 



On July 7tli, 1883 {vide "Zoologist," 1883, pp. 473-8), the Rev. H. A. 

 Macpherson had a young male of this species given to him : it had been 

 captured after leaving the nest and had already been in confinement for about 

 a fortnight in a shallow box, which had so cramped its limbs that when first 

 placed in an aviarj^-cage it was unable to stand. After a short time, however, 

 " it had sufficiently recovered to demolish a saucerful of bread and milk." I 

 shall not have space to quote Mr. Macpherson's full account, but will give 

 what I can in his own words : — " When I came in, it ran up a strip of cork 

 bark, moving thence to cling to the wires of the cage-dome and its flat corners ; 

 present^ it assumed a posture of repose, clinging back downwards to the under 

 surface of a broad natural bough placed horizontally across the dome, the head 

 and tail being thus in the same place. About 7 p.m. it showed symptoms of 

 drowsiness, and buried its head in the interscapular feathers, clinging to the top 

 of the virgin cork, tail downwards." 



" On July 8th the Woodpecker made a hearty breakfast of pai7i au lait ; I 

 threw some mealworms on the cage-bottom, but though he eyed them covetously, 

 he would not descend to pick them up. Finding that he fenced vigorously with 

 a stick, which I was stirring him up with, it occurred to me to split its 

 extremity and to insert a mealworm into the cleft. He seized the first thus 

 pushed to him, but dropped it with a little cry of surprise ; I then offered him 

 six more mealworms, after which he expressed his satisfaction of his ' inner 

 man ' by tapping vigorously on the bark, not to drive out insects, but purely 

 to express his feelings, just as the Nuthatch beats a ' tattoo ' if she has 

 swallowed a sumptuous bluebottle. As I write (July 8th, 2 p.m.), the Wood- 

 pecker is flitting from one strip of cork to another, uttering a cry which may be 

 rendered ' cack, cack ' ; from time to time he darts his long tongue into the 

 crevices of cork." 



"July 9th. It is noticeable that when the Woodpecker wishes to descend, 

 he slides down the cork in jerks, tail downwards, like his wild brethren, in 

 contradistinction to the Nuthatch. Strawberries pushed to him- in the cleft- 

 switch he accepts gratefully ; a moment ago he nearly choked in trying to 

 swallow a large husk, and, now that his shyness is working off, he accepts the 

 fruit and also mealworms from my fingers." 



To summarise the food given between this date and the date of the death 

 of this bird — September and, I will just mention that, in addition to bread and 

 milk, strawberries and mealworms, Mr. Macpherson's bird devoured pulp of black 

 cherries, red-currants, nuts, cracknel and sweet biscuits, and plum-cake (of which 

 he rejected the lemon-peel) ; he seems to have invariably refused ^%%. Mr. 



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