Show us erx i im iI is im m I I N Na NA J JQ JL s m a Q L Jr- Jr I l k i A Woodpeckers Woodpecker s Tongue Is a Concealed Spear Prepare Pr par l by l hlo Society cIty D c U R C IV U U Service ServiceS IC have hate recently tH des S covered In tho dark rain drenched forests of or Haiti a species of woodpecker which buIld Its 0 own n hou house e They The to- to reported rc ported se seeing sc a dozen pairs of woodpeckers going In and out of nests In a single dead tree trunk There here arc are few birds that so sat cat revel theIr family con connection ned on as do the woodpecker The beginner In bird study may learn that the meadowlark belongs to the family but he may be excused It If he docs does not learn at once that the bobolink the orIole and the red led winged blackbird all strikingly different In habits and color coler belong to the same family lIe may rosy study the wood thrush and be surprised to find liter that the robin and the bluebird bear to It n a close cloce family relationship Out But It if Ithe he becomes thoroughly tam II with Ith the appearance and activities ot of Just one er cr he wilt w III thereafter be able to recognize at once any other member of ot the fam P which he be may encounter encounter ter Woodpeckers are of wide wille distri distribution They Inhabit all the coun countries countries countries tries of ot the globe except Madagascar car and the Australian region More lore than four tour hundred 1 species are known and many geographical races rac's of these have hate been described In orth 1 rth America the family Is represented by ten generi genen fled Into 22 species several of which In turn are divided d Into sub subspecies subspecies species or races In all I G-I kinds of ers are recognized In continental United UnIte 1 States Canada and Baja Califor S Sensible and Busy Birds Woodpeckers give gie the impression ot of being practical sensible bh buds ds dst t l ordinary circumstances circumstance they do not show a hysterical fear of man they are wary war but do not let that Interfere with their work They are very sery ery busy bucy birds and most ot of the time are absorbed in climb climbIng lag Ing about tree trunks and lImbs They TIley get along together fairly sell ell One sees few serious combats among them They do not possess the stately dignity of ot the heron the singing po powers ers of the lie thrush or the grace graceful graceful ful flights of the s swallow t allo Woodpeckers peckers do not stir the Imagination tion to thoughts of ot distant lands 1 as does the wild Ild goose when hen far overland we see him leading his flock to toward ard the frozen pole The woodpeckers are known rather rither ns as ashard hard working orling substantial cItizens ot of the bird world rendering en Ice which could ill III be spared These birds possess highly specialized equipment for tor their bust busl bustness ness of getting a living The They are the only birds In our country countr that can dig holes In solid trees As a group they piss pass most of ot their days dars pecking ca cased ed trees or stumps for ants or the larvae of ot wood bor borIng borIng borIng Ing beetles i 1 0 I o other bird leases lea behind such striking evidence of ot Its presence 0 hundred thousand warblers may migrate through a n small region and many may remain for tor the summer and rear their young S When hen they hale hae ha e gone little sign of their for former mer presence Is left behind but a nair dozen w ss eckers In the same community will leave leate very definite of ot their occupancy l u u holes boles In dead trees with here and there an entrance nce to a nesting cavity will Ill all bear benr con convincing testimony that these birds have been In the forests and the or orchards orchards orchards of ot the neighborhood Woodpeckers nest In hollows which they dig In trees and all nil ot of them lay white eggs on a Led bed of fino chips at the bottom of ot the cay cavItIes cavities ties Their toes usually number four two of ot them pointing for forward and the others backward This arrange arrange- arrangement arrangement arrangement ment enables the birds to grasp firmly the side of a tree and espe jpe especially dally Is this the case when hen they brace themselves with Vo ith their t twelve elve long stiff tall tail feathers feathersOn One On Kind Goes After Sap The sapsucker a species of ot wood woodpecker woodpecker woodpecker pecker Is looked upon Y with Ith serf rl ous dl disfavor fator by foresters and or some variety of It being found In nearly every part of the country countr This dislike arises from Its universal custom of ot holes In lI live e tree trees The bird does docs this chiefly to get tho the sap fio floss s upward through h the sort soft cambium lying just bene Ith the bast or Inner bark and It also eats the cambium and bast To get this food the sapsucker drills holes in rings around the tree tret or at times In rows ros ro s or on the trunk or along alone a limb As the sip collects In the open openIngs lags Ings It Is consumed by the bird un until tit tho the little springs begin to fall fail when hen another series cerles of ot holes fJ made near the first one Thus Tims the work continues contInue until largo areas of the tree may ma mn be covered with th these perforations Tho The sapsucker will tal e a the sap of maple mapie mountain ash pear plum apple cherry oak peach spruce and Ironwood trees and of or almost all species of ot pines firs hemlocks cedars c cypress press or cottonwoods In the northern forests where here many sapsuckers cp spend nd the sum summer summer mer numerous birch trees are killed hIlled annually by them In the est orth where here at nt times E ers ens are aro usually plentiful whole up appie pIe orchards have hate been destro destroyed ed cd edIn In some trees such ns as maples and hickories their holes often pierce the sip wood beneath the cambium In the sub subsequent quent gro growth th of the trees these wounds sometimes cause curly or bird s eye eyo wood well weil known to lumbermen More lore often otten however this or of the wood allows insects Insects a i ngi I or bacteria to enter er Th These e cause caus blemishes or decayed ed areas which reduce In value salve the lumber whIch Inter ma may mav be bo cut from the tre tree bout o the rings of holes made h b these birds In locusts and sycamores mores more shoots often sprout from ad buds buds bude and thus the sym ym symmetry symmetry metry of the tree Is marred only are hundreds of ot thousands ot of trees Injured Injure 1 by sapsuckers but a considerable proportion of ot those I that are attacked chell dieThe dieThe die dieThe The woodpeckers do not confine their attentions wholly holly to trees they make their explorations e for sap through the bark rk of large vine vines such for example ample as the creeper poison polson Is h rattan and trumpet creeper Close about the ne nesting tree ot of the sapsucker there are trees where the old birds go for their sap and where here they take their young hen they leave the tho nest Here the family spends the summer with Ith an abundance of nor normal normal normal mal food tood supply at nt hand At this season they eat also ants tiles flies beetles beetle and various other in Insects whIch are drawn dra to tho the flowing springs of ot sweet s sap Other wood woodpeckers woodpeckers peckers come to these little foun fountains talus as wellS well as S humming birds warbler and at times red rell squirrels squirrels Flicker Is the Best Known Among the woodpeckers the flick flicker flicker er en is a bird of distinctive e personal It v and It attracts universal er erl l atten Uon Undoubtedly It is known to far more people than are the other woodpeckers Its local names are arc numerous l ucher bird golden winged woodpecker Ligh holder pl pigeon eon woodpecker and yellow hammer are some ot of them Of Ot late years the custom has de developed developed developed of adopting a n state stale bird Already choice has been made mado by bytho bythe bytho the tho organizations of ot 43 states and andIn andin andIn In Alabama not long ago the ques Uon of ot which bird should be chosen created hot discussion In the end the yellow hammer was as decided upon The fight for Its name was led by aomen a women omen s patriotic ration members of or which called i at at to the historic fact that a company of ot Alabama youths had placed the bird birds s feathers In theIr caps and designating themselves yellow hammers hummers had marched marcheti assay singing to tho the Civil warThe war warThe 1 The he red rell headed woodpeckers and others of or the family will now and then dart down to a n road or to the tho thola la lawn n to capture an Insects or to pick up an acorn but when hen the flicker drops to the ground he re- re remains re remains mains there for some time often otten untIl frightened aa assay In the woods the Held field or tho the garden one may como come upon him him hopt hopping awk awkwardly awkwardly awkwardly through the grass Ills His chief Interest at such times Is anta which constitute 50 CO per cent ot of his hia food lIe IIo secures them by byuse byuse byuse use of hi his remarkable tongue which can bo be thrust outward two and a half Inches or more beyond the tho end of ot the bill His Ills tongue is at nil all times cos co covered ered with a stick sticky saliva which catches and holds the ants as ag they rush forward forssard ard to at attack attack attack tack what hat appears to be a tong long worm orm that has crl crawled led across theIr path or entered their burrow burrO I This hi t tongue is n 1 very Vry wonderful organ In tho the mouth It branches and the t two 0 horns pass up the rear ot of the skull kull On top they meet meet and close together the two parts run forward and downward doy n ard over the ri right ht eye to the nostril which they enter and extend on onward to the end of ot the thc bill |