.^^^ THE MAINE ^^^. 



Ornithologist and Oologist. 



VOL J I 



G iRLANDJlB. MAY, 1891 



NO 3 



The Woodpeckers of 



North America. 



(by kobkkth. scokso.) 



tlieir labor except vvlieii flyint^. Their 

 i flight is swift and of an up and do.vn 

 I style. Their legs are short and strong, 

 the toes stand two forward aud two 

 T shall here endeavor to describe as i backward, and are armed with strong, 

 briefly as possible all the main features' shai-p and arched claws, 

 ofthe woodpecker kind, both in Zootomy I Their tails are Tery stiff and each 

 and habit. ; feather is drawn to a poirjt at the ex- 



There are thirty-two species in North , tream. Their food consists chiefly of 



America all of whicli 

 are better known by 

 their rapping sound tlian 

 by their note. Although 

 they are by no means con- 

 fined to North America 

 but instead, ai-e found in 

 almo<t every forest in the. 

 world . 



They are easily distuin- 

 p^uished from other birds, 

 both by their method of 

 procuring food, and their 



the insects that infest the 

 bark of old trees and they 

 are most truly firted by 

 nature fur providing them- 

 selveswith food of this kind 

 Their bills are wedsre 

 shaped, sharp and strong, 

 and divided from the skull 

 by an elastic plate, in 

 which t he jar is lost from 

 the brain while pecking. 

 The tongue is verv lono^, 

 round, sharp and bony at 



manner of providing a place of safty the point, it is a little deutated on etich 

 in which to rear their young. | yidg which enables the bird to stHke, an^ 



An idea of any bird in this genius 'pull insects from their cells. It is 

 will give us a very good idea of all the | thrown out and drawn back into the 

 ^'^^^' I bill vvith great force, by the aid of tw.) 



Thcfollowing will lead to the identity I eartileges, which are fastened intothe 



ofthe most of the wood-necker kind ' i r»i * i i i 



. ic»uuu pecKci Kiiiu. ^ g,^| ofthe tongue and run alowji to the 



Iheir feet are formed for irrippin* 



and their tails to lean upon while climb- 

 ing, and they are seldom at rest from 



roots, then tal'.e acircuitbehind the ears 

 over the skull and down between 

 {Conli/iued un piige 3.) 



