GOLDEN-BACKED WOODPECKER — 157 
“Tt has the appearance of a silver ribbon, rather, from 
its transparency, of a stream of molten glass, and the 
rapidity with which it is protruded and withdrawn is 
so great that the eye is dazzled by following its motions; 
it is flexible in the highest degree.” 
Now, I must confess that my eye has never been 
dazzled in following the motions of the woodpecker’s 
tongue, for the simple reason that it is unable to follow 
them, nor do I believe that any other human eye can. 
Imagination must, I think, be the source of the above 
description. I daresay if we could see the movement 
of a woodpecker’s tongue at work it would look like a 
stream of molten glass! 
Watch a toad, or even a lizard, catching insects, and 
what you appear to see is the Zoochee taking a voluntary 
jump into the mouth of its enemy. The insect, of 
course, does nothing so foolish. The motion of the 
toad’s tongue is so rapid that the human eye cannot 
follow it. If tapping does not cause the insects to 
leave their hiding-place in the bark, the woodpecker 
drags them out by inserting its sticky tongue in the 
crevices. As the insects in question are mostly ants, 
I do not feel very deeply for them. The world can well 
spare a few ants. 
The woodpecker’s tail is not ornamental. As regards 
looks, it is but an apology for a tail. It is composed of 
a business-like set of bristles, which are very stiff and 
point downwards. But, ugly as they are, the bird 
could ill afford to lose them. They support it during 
its gymnastic performances on the trunks of trees, 
The breast of the woodpecker is flatter than that of 
