HOME BIRDS 39 



While constructing thie he hammers away quite out 

 of sight, and it is often puzzling to locate the source 

 of the muffled blows. A freshly made doorway, and 

 chips scattered on the leaves below, give a clue to 

 the hidden carpenter's whereabouts. 



His home is not furnished with the straws, hair, 

 or feathers with which so many birds line their nests, 

 and the four to six eggs are laid on the bare floor. 

 Like those of all Woodpeckers, and of nearly all 

 birds that nest in holes, they are pure white. In an 

 exposed place the snowy shells could easily be seen 

 by an egg-hunting Crow or Jay. So we will find 

 that the eggs of birds which lay in open nests are 

 usually colored. A blue, speckled or spotted egg 

 is much more difficult to discover than a gleaming 

 white one, and it is therefore believed that the 

 shades, tints and markings which make birds' eggs 

 so beautiful, serve the useful purpose of concealing 

 the eggs from nest-robbers. 



Downy is one of the few birds that makes its 

 nest a home as well as a nursery for the rearing of 

 his family. The Robin, Jay, Song Sparrow and 

 most true nest-builders, abandon their nests after 

 their young can fly; but Downy may return to sleep 

 in his night after night. Sometimes he makes a hole 

 for use only as sleeping quarters during the winter. 



Downy's bill is employed for three quite different 



