A Recent Occurence of the Pileated 

 Woodpecker near Buffalo. 



By Carlos E. Cummings, M. D. 



From the viewpoint of the anatomical features, as well as 

 in the interesting peculiarities of life and habits, the wood- 

 peckers represent one of the most unique groups in our avian 

 fauna. We find among- these birds certain universal anatomical 

 characteristics. The feet are perfectly zygodactyle by rever- 

 sion of the fourth toe, the tail feathers stiff and sharp, and the 

 chisel-like bill peculiarly adapted for the purpose of chipping 

 away the wood of the trees in search of food. An arrangement 

 of the hyoid bone, in the form of long slender, flexible filaments 

 extending over the skull behind between the skin and the bone, 

 surrounded by highly developed specialized muscles, enables 

 the tongue to be extended several inches beyond the bill. The 

 tongue itself is slender, sharp pointed and thickly barbed on its 

 extremity. The small size of the neck as compared with the 

 size of the skull makes it impossible to invert the skin over the 

 head, a process commonly employed in the skinning of other 

 birds during the process of mounting. The skull itself is ex- 

 tremely firm and solid, the bone possessing almost the hardness 

 and rigidity of ivory. 



We find in studying the habits of the birds that each of these 

 anatomical peculiarities serves a definite purpose in the life of 

 the creature. By means of the bill the bird perforates the bark 

 and wood of the trees to reach the larvae of the insects feeding 

 beneath it. This cutting away of the wood is done by a series 

 of powerful strokes of the bird's head, in much the same fashion 

 as a carpenter would use a chisel and hammer in shaping a 

 piece of timber. During the process the bird clings to the 

 rough bark of the tree, the spoke-like arrangement of the toes 

 being such as to afford a firm grip. The short stiff feathers 

 ot the tail are pressed forcibly against the bark, making a rigid 

 support on which the weight of the bird's body may rest and a 



