MY HALF-BROTHER AND I 



A few people know me by the name, the eggs ; secondly, by the sound of the 



Colaptes auratus, while a greater number larva as he makes his way through the 



would recognize me when you say, wood. It is by the last method that we 



"Golden-winged Wood-pecker," but the are able to obtain the major part of our 



name that I like best and the one that food. 



was given me by the boys and girls in If you will notice closely, you will see 



localities where I live is "Yellow-ham- that the openings in the trees that we 



mer." According to the Indian legend, make for our homes or nests are invar- 



the Red-headed wood-pecker is my half- iably on the east, west or north side, for 



brother, so what applies to his manner if placed on the south side, the intense 



of living also, in nearly all instances, heat of the summer would be intolerable, 



coincides with mine. You will find that We make these holes in the trees deep 



unless the winter season has been unus- enough so that we can stand upright in 



ually severe, we did but little migrat- case we are attacked by the weasel or 



ing ; first for the reason that we prepare a some of the raptores as we often are. 



food supply during the autumn months, As a further protection from different 



consisting of acorns and soft-shelled enemies, the chips are removed from 



nuts that we place in crevices in the tree the base of the tree where they have 



trunks ; second, that the homes in which fallen from the nest in its making. It 



we live afford a necessary protection is also noticeable that we do not make 



against the wintry weather ; and third, our homes near any limb of the tree, 



that we cannot make rapid fights as can thus making it more inconvenient to be 



most other birds. attacked. 



On account of our short migrations, With most other birds, the old saying, 



we are among the first birds to appear "the early bird catches the worm" holds 



in the early spring, making the woods true, but in our case, especially through 



echo with our sounds produced by strik- the summer months, it does not, as we 



ing the bill against the dead limbs of the get the most of our food in the late 



hardier trees, not searching for larvae, afternoon. The insect upon which we 



but as a call for a mate and to assist in prey the most is the "Katy-did," which 



preparing the bill for the coming sum- we locate by hearing it sing, then wait- 



mer work, also for the enjoyment we ing until the song is started again, when 



receive as it is our principal method of it is easily discerned and captured. We 



designating who we are. are able to procure at least a dozen in one 



During the winter months our food afternoon, as well as catching many 



consisted mainly of acorns or dried bugs that fly about in the early twilight, 

 berries. Through the months of April, As the late fall approaches we are kept 



May and June we live upon the larvae busy gathering acorns for present use 



found beneath the bark of the trees or and storing some so that should we stay 



in their surface woody tissue. We have until winter, we will have a partial 



two ways of knowing where the worms food supply, 



are located, first by the openings in the Edgar S. Jones. 



hark where the mother insect deposited 



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