82 



VERTEBRATES; BIRDS. 



they sit for hours uttering their unpleasant notes, 

 which sound Hke ccnv-cozi', eight or ten times repeated. 



Fig. HI. — Cuckoo. 



They feed upon insects, and also eggs, which they 

 steal from the nests of other birds. 



Fig. 112. — Red-headed 

 Woodpecker. 



Woodpeckers. 



These Birds have a straight, 

 sharp bill, witli \\'hich they cut into 

 bark or wood in search of insects. 

 The tongue is very long and capa- 

 ble of being greatly extended, and 

 is armed towards the tip with 

 barbs. With this they secure the 

 insects. Twenty or thirty kinds 

 are found in North America, vary- 

 ing in size from the Sparrow to 

 the Crow. The)- build their nests 

 in holes, made with their bills in 

 the trunks or branches of trees. 



