BY TUB WAYSIDE 
09 
AnJ —/ 
chance they drill holes in some limb 
in which they wedge the acorns; or il 
they he in tlie vicinity of dwellings, 
the cracks and crevices of posts, dis¬ 
carded boxes, or a loosened shingle 
serve them as repositories. 
It seems, too, as though the individ¬ 
ual woodpeckers have their favorite 
perch for eating their acorns, their din¬ 
ner table as it were. For instance wo 
very frequently have seen a wood¬ 
pecker engaged in opening acorns in a 
certain tree whose crown has been cut 
off, thus affording a comparatively fia i 
space, wherein an acorn can be lodged 
and easily disposed of. Two instances 
of telephone posts serving as tables 
have been noted. 
Elaborate as these preparations for 
winter are, yet the cunning of the red¬ 
heads is not sufficient to prevent 
their hoards from becoming the store¬ 
houses of other birds as well. The blue- 
jays for instance have discovered that 
the acorns of the woodpeckers is jus 4 * 
as good food for them. Indeed, like 
the bright school boy who will spend 
many more hours to elaborate a skillful 
pony than it would be necessary for 
him to learn his lessons honorably, we 
may suspect these roguish fellows of 
the bird kingdom of taking peculiar 
delight in despoiling their inoffensive 
neighbors instead of going about their 
own business. This often leads t" 
quarrels and I am sorry to say that the 
redhead is not always able to hold his 
own. If a single jay be caught, his 
cries soon attract his fellows, but the 
woodpecker can seldom summon help 
so readily. 
In conclusion we wish to ask our 
readers to keep their eyes open for Mi*. 
Redhead. He is quiet now and his 
rasping cry will no longer attract your 
attention so you will have to look tor 
him. The editor wishes that all who 
can will write their observations to 
By the Wayside. The presence of s'* 
many redheaded woodpeckers this win¬ 
ter is unusual for Madison and its vi¬ 
cinity. If it is unusual elsewhere we 
want to know it, and if not, we want 
to know that also. Let us make it the 
occasion for getting together as mir* u 
as possible of our knowledge of the 
redheaded woodpeckers occurrence, 
range, and habits in winter in the state 
of Wisconsin. 
Suggestions to Teachers 
The winter months though seemingly 
barren of material for interesting 
study, present a field for study so dif¬ 
ferent that many people think there 
are no birds around so what is the use 
of studying. Then too, it is not as easy 
to go afield on a cold winter day when 
the snow lies deep on the ground. 
Furthermore, the birds are not as num¬ 
erous as at other seasons, so it often 
happens that people get discouraged 
because they do not return with as big 
a. list as they like to have. But then 
for what after all is it that we study 
birds? Is it not primarily for the pleas¬ 
ure we derive therefrom and for the 
knowledge we have of the birds be¬ 
havior, adaptations, food and habitat. 
These are by no means all the subjects, 
but surely a list of species is only a 
means to an end; so let us not be dis¬ 
heartened by the few birds we find in 
winter. 
One of the first things to do in bird 
study and in other sciences as well is 
to try to learn something of the sys- 
