23 



DOWNY WOODPECKER. 



{Picus Puhescens.) 

 Early in spring this little feathered friend returns to 

 lis and makes his presence known by rapping on the 

 trunks of trees and uttering its little ditty, which is 

 not very attractive, but pleasant to those who love 

 nature and her children. The plumage of this bird is 

 a varied mixture of blue, black and white, which makes 

 it very pretty. It much resembles the Nuthatch in 

 every particular. The nest is placed in a hollow tree, 

 mostly a dead one. Occasionally they bore a hole in a 

 green one. Nest made of chips and bark fibers. Eggs 

 number from four to six. They are a beautiful white, 

 spotted with brown, 



RED-HEADED WOODPECKER. 



{Melanerpes Erythrocephalus.) 

 Any one who has lived in the country can scarcely 

 escape seeing this beautiful bird. In early spring and 

 summer it may be seen flying from tree to tree, and on 

 telegraph poles, where it shows to good advantage. 

 The head and neck are a bright scarlet; the points of 

 the wings and rumps are black; the rest of the body 

 white, making it a very showy bird. It has a loud, 

 harsh cry, often when tapping trees for insects. The 

 nest is made in hollow trees, as are those of all wood- 

 peckers. The eggs number from four to six. They 

 are a pearly porcelain white, as shiny as glass, some- 

 what pointed. The eggs of most all woodpackers are 

 pure white, except the Nuthatch and hairy sap suckers, 

 which are spotted with brown. The red-head is some- 

 times shot for food and cabinet purposes. 



