THE RED-HEADED WOODPECKER 107 



sawdust falls to the bottom of the nest, and this 

 forms a soft bed for the eggs.) Is this a good kind 

 of nest for a bird to have? Why do you think so? 

 (It is protected from the storms, and from the birds 

 and animals that trouble the robin's nest.) What 

 ones? But there is one animal that troubles the 

 robin's nest, which can easily get into this nest. 

 What is that? (The blacksnake.) Quite often it 

 steals the woodpecker's eggs or birds. 



Do these birds go to all this work to make a nest 

 every year, or do they use the same nest year after 

 year? (They make a new nest. They do not use 

 a hole which they find already in a tree.) Can you 

 see the eggs or the tiny woodpeckers in the nest? 

 Why not? How many eggs? (Six, usually.) How 

 do they look? (They are more nearly round than 

 are the robin's eggs and are larger than hers. 

 They are pure white and very smooth.) How can you 

 tell when there are little woodpeckers in the nest 

 if you cannot see them? (If you are near the tree, 

 you can hear the babies cry. They are big eaters, 

 and nearly all the time they are teasing for food.) 

 Who feeds them? (The mamma and papa.) What 

 do they feed them? (Bugs, moths, grasshoppers, 

 etc.) When they are big enough to fly about, how 



