l8 THE PILEATED WOODPECRER NEAR BUFFALO 



leverage by which additional force can be given to the blow. 

 The hole being made and the burrow of the grub exposed, 

 the long tongue is then thrust out, the insect impaled on its 

 barbed extremity, and thus drawn back to the bird's mouth. 

 The birds display a very peculiar instinct in selecting a spot di- 

 rectly over the larva before beginning work, the hole being so 

 located that it usually strikes directly above the grub. This 

 boring does not injure the trees to the extent that might be 

 imagined, the destruction of the noxious insects more than coun- 

 terbalancing the damage done in the process. The name of 

 "sapsucker" which is also commonly applied to these birds in 

 certain localities is misleading, as their food consists of the 

 larvae of insects, varied occasionally by a meal of nuts or berries. 

 In building the nest, they make use of their powerful bills in 

 excavating holes in the trees, sometimes to a considerable depth, 

 where they lay a number of round white eggs. The eggs are 

 very beautiful, being pure white, the shell having a glossy 

 smooth surface resembling very fine porcelain. They are not 

 in any sense birds of song, their note being a harsh cry. 



In some instances the plumage presents very brilliant 

 colors, reds and yellows being common and often, as in the case 

 of the common red head, possessing a highly lustrous surface. 

 There are something like 250 well determined species, covering 

 nearly every part of the globe, about thirty of which are de- 

 scribed as being present in the United States and of these nine 

 have been recorded as being found in New York State. 



The nicker or golden-winged woodpecker is frequently 

 seen in the parks of our cities as well as in the woods. This 

 bird has probably as many local names as any of our birds, be- 

 ing known as the high-holder, nicker, red shafted nicker, yel- 

 low hammer, pigeon woodpecker, and golden winged wood- 

 pecker. It is truly a beautiful bird, the breast being a light 

 creamy yellow, marked with circular black spots, the back of 

 the head and neck showing a bright scarlet crescent. The 

 red-headed woodpecker is also common, the color of this bird 

 being red, white and blue black. The head is of crimson, the 

 breast and secondaries of the wings white, the back and wings a 

 dull glossy blue-black. The downy and hairy woodpeckers are 

 less brilliantly colored, being of a more uniform black and white. 

 These birds are seen frequently in our locality throughout the 



