IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER (Campephilus principalis).
IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER (Campephilus principalis).
IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER (Campephilus principalis).
Plate 22. Cassell's Book of BirdsPTILOGONYS ARMILLATUS ____ WHISKERED FANTAIL(Life size)(Swainson)
Plate 22. Cassell's Book of BirdsPTILOGONYS ARMILLATUS ____ WHISKERED FANTAIL(Life size)(Swainson)
Plate 22. Cassell's Book of Birds
PTILOGONYS ARMILLATUS ____ WHISKERED FANTAIL
(Life size)(Swainson)
[See larger version]
"The first place I observed the bird at," says Wilson, "when on my way to the South, was about twelve miles north of Wilmington, in North Carolina. Having wounded it slightly in the wing, on being caught it uttered a loudly-reiterated and most piteous note, exactly resembling the violent crying of a young child, which terrified my horse so much as nearly to have cost me my life. It was distressing to hear it. I carried it with me under cover to Wilmington. In passing through the street its cry surprised every one within hearing, particularly the females, who hurried to the doors and windows with looks of alarm. I drove on, and on arriving at the piazza of the hotel where I intended to put up, the landlord came forward and a number of other persons, all equally alarmed at what they heard. This alarm was greatly increased by my asking whether they could find accommodation formyself and my baby; the man looked blank and foolish, while the others stared with still greater astonishment. After diverting myself for a minute or two at their expense, I drew my Woodpecker from under the cover, and a general laugh took place. I took him upstairs, and locked him in my room while I went to look after my horse. In less than an hour I returned, and on opening the door he set up the same distressing shout, which now appeared to proceed from grief that he had been discovered in his efforts at escape. He had mounted along the side of the window, nearly as high as the ceiling, a little below which he had begun to break through. The bed was covered with large pieces of plaster. The latter was exposed for at least fifteen inches square, and a hole opened large enough to admit the fist close to the weather-boards; so that in less than another hour he would certainly have made his way through. I now tied a string to his leg, fastened him to the table, and again left him. As I re-ascended the stairs I heard him again hard at work, and on entering had the mortification to find that he had almost ruined the mahogany table, on which he seemed to have wreaked his whole vengeance. While engaged in taking a drawing of him, he cut me severely in several places, and, on the whole, displayed such an unconquerable spirit that I was frequently tempted to restore him to his native woods. He lived with me nearly three days, but refused all sustenance, and I witnessed his death with regret."
THE RED-HEADED BLACK WOODPECKER (Melanerpes erythrocephalus).
THE RED-HEADED BLACK WOODPECKER (Melanerpes erythrocephalus).
THE RED-HEADED BLACK WOODPECKER (Melanerpes erythrocephalus).
The head and bill of this species are held in great esteem, as a sort of charm or amulet, by many tribes of the American Indians, who ornament their belts with them; and Europeans eagerly purchase them as curiosities. When wounded, this Woodpecker generally ascends the nearest tree in a spiral direction, till it attains the topmost branches, where it hides; but if intercepted and laid hold of, it defends itself desperately, both with its beak and claws, inflicting severe lacerations.
The BLACK WOODPECKERS (Melanerpes) are less remarkable for their size than for the beauty of their plumage. In these birds the body is powerful, the head large, and the neck short. The beak is straight, broader than it is high at the base, its upper mandible is arched, and its margins turned inwards; the distinguishing characteristics of the bill, however, are the four small parallel ridges that commence at the nostrils, and extend as far as the centre of the beak. The tarsus equals the reversible toe and its claw in length; the fourth and fifth wing-quills are of equal size, and longer than the rest; the tail is much rounded; and a small space around the eyes is quite bare. Black, red, and white predominate in the coloration of the plumage. All the various members of this group inhabit North and South America.
THE RED-HEADED BLACK WOODPECKER.
The RED-HEADEDBLACKWOODPECKER(Melanerpes erythrocephalus) is of a bright red colour on the head and neck. The mantle, wings, and tail are of a jetty blackness; the hinder quills, rump, and under side pure white. The eye is brown, the beak and feet blueish black. The female is smaller and less brightly coloured than her mate. In the young the head, throat, mantle, and breast are of a greyish brown, marked with blackish brown, crescent-shaped spots. The exterior quills are blackish brown, the inner ones reddish white, striped with blackish brown towards the tip; the tail-feathers are deep brownish black. This species is nine inches long and seventeen broad; the wing measures four inches and five-sixths, and the tail two inches and three-quarters.
"The Red-heads," says Audubon, "may be considered as residents of the Northern States, inasmuch as many of them remain in the southern districts during the whole winter, and breed there in summer; the greater number, however, pass to countries farther south. Their migration takes place at night, is commenced in the middle of September, and is continued for a month or six weeks. They then fly high above the trees, far apart, like a disbanded army, propelling themselves by reiterated flaps of the wing at the end of each successive curve which they describe in their flight. The note which they emit at this time is different from the usual one—sharp and easily heard from the ground, although the birds may be out of sight; this note is continued as if it were necessary for keeping the straggling party in good humour. At dawn of day the whole alight on the tops of the dead trees about the plantations, and remain in search of food until the approach of sunset, when they again, one after the other, mount the air and continue their journey.
"With the exception of the Mocking Bird, I know no species so gay and frolicsome; indeed, their whole life is one of pleasure. They find a superabundance of food everywhere, as well as the best facilities for raising their broods. They do not seem to be much afraid of man, although they have scarcely a more dangerous enemy. When alighted on a fence-stake by the road or in a field, and one approaches them, they gradually move sidewise out of sight, peeping now and then to discover your intention; and when you are just close and opposite, lie still until you are past, when they hop to the top of the stake and rattle upon it with their bill, as if to congratulate themselves upon the success of their cunning. Should you approach within arm's length, the Woodpecker flies to the next stake from you, bends to peep and rattle again, as if to provoke you to a continuance of what seems to him excellent sport. No sooner are the cherries ripe than these birds attack them; and I may safely say that a hundred have been shot on one tree during a single day. Pears, peaches, apples, figs, mulberries, even peas are also thus attacked. They have another bad habit—that of sucking the eggs of small birds, and are often successful in entering the pigeon-houses; the corn as it ripens is laid bare by their bill, when they feed on the top parts of the ear. All this while the Red-heads are full of gaiety. No sooner have they satisfied their hunger than small parties of them assemble in the tops and branches of decayed trees, from which they chase different insects, launching after them for eight or ten yards,at times performing the most singular manœuvres; and on securing their victim return to the tree, where immediately after a cry of exultation is heard. They chase each other in a very amicable manner, in long beautifully-curved sweeps, during which the remarkable variety of their plumage becomes conspicuous. When passing from one tree to another their flight resembles the motion of a swing. They move upwards, sidewise, or backwards without apparent effort, but seldom with the head downwards. Their manner of curving from one tree to another is frequently performed as if they intended to attack a bird of their own species, and it is amusing to see the activity with which the latter baffles his antagonist, as he scrambles sidewise down the tree with astonishing celerity; in the same manner in which one of these birds, suspecting a man armed with a gun, will keep winding round the trunk of a tree, until a good opportunity presents itself for sailing off to another. In this manner a man may follow from one tree to another over a whole field without procuring a shot, unless he watches his opportunity, and fires while the bird is on the wing. On the ground this species is by no means awkward, and hops with perfect ease after the beetles it has espied while perching on a tree or fence.
"It is seldom that a nest newly perforated by these birds is found, as they generally resort to those of preceding years. These holes are found often to the number of ten or a dozen in a single decayed trunk. So few green or living trees are perforated for this purpose by this species that I have never myself seen a single instance. In Louisiana and Kentucky the Red-headed Woodpecker rears two broods every year, in the middle districts more generally only one. The female lays from two to six eggs, which are pure white and translucent, sometimes in holes not six feet from the ground, sometimes as high as possible. The young birds have the upper part of the head at first grey; but towards autumn the red begins to appear. During the first winter the red is richly intermixed with grey, and at the approach of spring scarcely any difference is perceptible between the sexes. The flesh of the Red-head is tough, and smells so strongly of the ants and other insects on which it feeds as to be scarcely eatable. In Kentucky and the Southern States many of these birds are killed in the following manner:—As soon as they have begun to visit an apple or cherry tree a pole is placed along the trunk, passing up among the central branches, and extending six or seven feet beyond the highest twigs. The Red-head alights by preference on the pole, and while its body is close to it a man standing beneath gives the pole a smart blow with the head of an axe, on the opposite side to that on which the Woodpecker is, when, in consequence of the sudden violent vibration produced in the upper part, the bird is thrown off dead."
"So common are these birds," says Wilson, "that wherever there is a tree of the wild cherry covered with ripe fruit there you see them busy amongst the branches; and in passing orchards you may readily know where to find the sweetest apples by observing those trees on or near which a Red-head is skulking; for so excellent a connoisseur is he in fruit that wherever an apple or pear tree is found broached by him it is sure to be the ripest and best flavoured. When alarmed at his work he secures a fine one by striking his bill deep into it, and bears it off into the woods.
"Notwithstanding the care," continues the same writer, "which this bird, in common with the rest of the genus, takes to place its young beyond the reach of enemies, within the hollows of trees, there is one deadly enemy against whose depredations neither the height of the tree nor the depth of the cavity is the least security; this is the black snake (Coluber constrictor), who frequently glides up the trunk of the tree, and, like a skulking savage, creeps into the Woodpecker's peaceful abode, devours the eggs and helpless young, in spite of the cries and flutterings of the parents, and, if the place be large enough, coils himself up in the spot they occupied, where he will often remain for several days. The eager school-boy, often hazarding his neck to reach the Woodpecker's hole, at the triumphant moment when he thinks the nestlings his own, strips his arm, launching it down the cavity, and grasps whathe imagines to be the callow young, starts with horror at the sight of a hideous shape, and retreats down the tree with terrified precipitation. Several adventures of this kind have come to my knowledge, and one of them was attended with serious consequences—both snake and boy fell to the ground; and a broken thigh and long confinement cured the youngster of his ambition for robbing Woodpeckers' nests."
THE ANT-EATING BLACK WOODPECKER.
The ANT-EATINGBLACKWOODPECKER(Melanerpes formicivorus) is an inhabitant of California and Mexico. Its body is black; the brow, a spot on the exterior quills, the anterior border of the hinder quills, and the rump are white; the top of the head as far as the nape is light red; the throat and a band upon the breast are black; the region of the throat is relieved by the sulphur-yellow feathers, by which the black portion is surrounded; the back and sides are streaked longitudinally with white; the eye is yellow, the beak and feet are black. This species is nine inches long; the wing measures five inches and a quarter, and the tail two and a quarter.
"TheMelanerpes formicivorus," Hermann tells us, "is the noisiest and most numerous of all the Woodpeckers inhabiting California. During the summer these birds are constantly to be seen chasing their insect prey about the topmost branches of the trees, and in autumn are equally busy in laying up a store of acorns against the approach of winter. This is accomplished by boring a series of holes in the trunk of a tree, into each of which an acorn is so firmly introduced as to render its extrication a work of difficulty. An oak or pine tree thus pierced often presents the appearance of being studded with a multitude of bronze nails."
The VARIEGATED WOODPECKERS (Picus) constitute a group of small or moderate-sized and compactly-built birds. Their straight beak almost equals the head in length, and is as broad as it is high at the base; the toes are short, and in some species but three in number; in the wing the third quill is the longest; and the tail is conical. The plumage is black, marked with white, and enlivened in some parts by an intermixture of red or yellow. The various members of this group inhabit all those parts of the earth frequented by their congeners, with the exception of Central and Southern Africa.
THE GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER.
The GREATSPOTTEDWOODPECKER(Picus major) is black upon the upper portion of the body, of a dull yellowish grey beneath, and the brow indicated by a yellow line. The cheeks, a line on the sides of the throat, the large spots on the shoulders, and some irregular markings on the wings are all white; the back of the head and lower part of the belly are light red; and a black line passes from the base of the beak to the nape. The female is without the red upon the nape; and in the young the top of the head is bright red. The eye of all is brownish red, the beak light grey, and the foot greenish grey.
These well-known birds inhabit the whole of Europe and Siberia, as far as Kamschatka. Woods, forests, and plantations of all kinds are their principal resorts, and they especially delight in fir or pine trees. In these localities each bird appropriates a certain district as its own particular domain, and within this boundary no intruder is permitted to forage; for no sooner does the vigilant proprietor hear the bony tap that indicates a close inspection of his hunting-ground than he sallies forth and encounters the unwelcome visitor, chasing it from tree to tree, until it is glad to retire in search of more hospitable quarters. Nuts and the seeds from fir and pine cones are largely consumed by these birds, who exhibit the utmost adroitness in extricating the latter from their hard covering.
This species, which is found throughout the British Isles, though less common than the GreenWoodpecker, "is," says Gosse, "much more strictly an arboreal bird than that species. It climbs with great ease and dexterity, traversing the trunks and limbs of trees in all directions—perpendicularly or horizontally—and digging with great diligence and effect into the bark and wood for insects. In Kensington Gardens, London, where this bird is quite common, it usually keeps about the highest branches of lofty trees, and the loud tappings of its carpentry may frequently be heard; though a fair sight of its person is difficult to obtain, as it dodges from side to side of the trunk or branch on which it happens to be with much cunning and adroitness whenever an observer approaches. It does not, however, confine itself entirely to the tall trees, for it occasionally alights on pollards, as well as on the rails and posts of fences, where, in the accumulated moss and lichen, or in the various holes and crevices, it finds a harvest of spiders, ants, caterpillars, and other insects; while in the season it varies its bill of fare by stealing cherries, plums, and other fruit."
Colonel Montague gives the following instance of the devotion of the female of this species for her young:—"It was with difficulty that the bird was made to quit her eggs; for, notwithstanding a chisel and mallet were used to enlarge the hole, she did not attempt to fly out until the hand was introduced, when she quitted the tree at another opening." The eggs, from five to seven in number, are pure glossy white.
THE HARLEQUIN WOODPECKER.
The HARLEQUINWOODPECKER(Piculus minor), as the least of all European Woodpeckers is called, differs from its congeners in the comparative shortness of its slightly conical beak, rounded tail, and the very peculiar coloration of its plumage. In the male the brow is yellowish grey, the crown of the head bright red, the upper part of the back entirely black, and the lower portion white, streaked with black; the whole of the wings are striped black and white, and relieved by a black line that passes along the sides of the neck, which it thus divides from the grey belly, which is longitudinally streaked with black at its sides. The centre tail-feathers are black, and those at the exterior of a whitish hue, striped with black. The female is without the red patch on the head; the young resemble the mother, but are somewhat duller in their hues. In all the eye is yellowish brown or fiery red, the beak lead-grey, with black tip and culmen, and the foot dark grey. This species is six inches long, and from eleven to eleven inches and a half broad; the wing measures two inches and three-quarters, and the tail two inches and a quarter.
The habitat of the Harlequin Woodpecker extends over the whole of Europe and Central Asia, and it is, we believe, occasionally seen in North-western Africa. Like its congeners, it does not migrate, but only quits its native woodlands to wander over the face of the country during the spring and autumn. At other seasons it keeps strictly within the limits of a certain spot selected as a home, and which invariably contains a large hollow tree suitable as a sleeping-place.
"In England," says Mr. Gould, "this small Woodpecker is far more abundant than is generally supposed. We have seldom sought for it in vain wherever large trees, particularly elms, grow in sufficient numbers to invite its abode. Near London it is very common, and may be seen by an attentive observer in many of the parks in the neighbourhood. The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker appears to perform a certain daily round, traversing a given extent of district, and returning to the same spot whence it began its route. In its actions it is very lively and alert. Unlike the Large Woodpecker, it frequents the smaller and more elevated branches, which it traverses with the utmost ease and celerity. Should it perceive itself noticed it becomes shy, and retires behind the branches; if, however, closely engaged in searching for food it sometimes is so absorbed as to allow itself to be closely approached without suspending its operations. When spring commences it becomes clamorous and noisy, its call being an oft-repeated note, so closely resembling that of the Wry-neck as to bescarcely distinguishable from it. At other times of the year it is mute, and its presence is only betrayed by the reiterated tap which it makes against the bark of the tree."
Naumann tells us that as this bird retires to rest later than many of the other feathered inhabitants of its favourite groves or orchards, many and fierce battles ensue before it can obtain possession of the particular hole it desires, as Titmice or Sparrows also prefer a warm, snug nook, and are by no means disposed to resign quietly in favour of the would-be intruder. In these encounters, however, might usually overcomes right, and a series of very pointed arguments, in the shape of repeated taps and pecks from the enemy's strong beak, eventually compel the weaker bird to seek a night's lodging elsewhere.
The movements of the Harlequin Woodpecker are brisk and active, and as regards its climbing powers it fully equals any member of its family already described. Towards men it exhibits the utmost confidence, but lives in a state of almost perpetual warfare with its feathered companions. During the breeding season, which commences in May, the male makes himself very conspicuous by the constant utterance of his shrill monotonous cry and his restless activity in contending with supposed rivals, or in his struggles to keep off the inroads of other males upon his chosen nesting-place. This latter spot is always at a considerable height from the ground, in an old oak or lofty fruit tree, whose decayed trunk can be readily penetrated by the beaks of the building pair. The recess bored for the reception of the young is six inches deep, and is entered by an aperture as perfectly circular in form as if it had been cut with a centre-bit. Many of these holes are frequently commenced and abandoned before the requirements of the fastidious parents are satisfied. The brood consists of from five to seven brilliantly white eggs, occasionally sparsely sprinkled with fine red spots. The young are hatched within a fortnight by the united exertions of both birds, and are nourished and tended for a considerable time after they have left the nest. The food of this species appears to consist exclusively of insects, as even during the winter months we have found nothing else in its stomach. Ants, spiders, beetles, and insects' eggs it consumes in enormous quantities, and renders inestimable service to the gardener by the countless hosts of destroying insects which it gleans from fruit-trees of every description.
Bechstein gives the following account of an attempt to tame thePicus medius, a closely-allied species. "I have," he says, "seen one of these Woodpeckers, which was reared by a lady and seemed much attached to her; it had learned to leave its cage and return, knocking hard at the window if shut out. It was very amusing to see it climbing nimbly over its mistress till it had reached her mouth. It then asked her, by light strokes of the wing, for the food she was accustomed to give it; this was generally a little meat. It disappeared one day, without any one knowing what had befallen it."
THE THREE-TOED WOODPECKER.
The THREE-TOEDWOODPECKER(Apternus tridactylus), as the most striking of all the European members of this family is called, represents a group recognisable by their straight beak, which is broader than it is high, and equals the head in length. All the three toes are shorter than the tarsus; of these the outermost is the smallest, and the two others of equal length. In the wing the fourth quill is the longest. The centre feathers of the conical tail are furnished with very stiff shafts, and sharply pointed at their tip. The upper portions of the body are black, and the under side dirty white; the brow black, spotted white, and the crown of the head pale golden yellow. A white line, more or less marked with black, passes from the eyes to the middle of the back; the bridles and a second line that terminates at the throat are black; as are the markings on the sides of the belly. The quills and exterior tail-feathers are black, striped with white, and the centre tail-feathers entirely black. The eye is pearl-grey or silver-white, the beak light grey, tipped with black, and the foot darkgrey. The female has the crown of the head spotted with white, instead of being yellow as in the male. The length of this species is nine and its breadth fourteen inches; the wing measures four inches and three-quarters, and the tail three inches and three-quarters.
It is at present undecided whether all such of these birds as inhabit Europe are to be regarded as identical; but if it be so the habitat of this species extends over a large portion of both the European and Asiatic continents. In the northern parts of Europe it is met with in the course of its wanderings as far north as sixty degrees north latitude, and is by no means rare; in Scandinavia, Finland, and Russia it is especially numerous, and in the country about the mouth of the Amoor is one of the commonest of birds. North America also possesses a deceptively similar or identical species. Everywhere it frequents well-wooded mountain regions, and closely resembles the Common Variegated Woodpecker in all the various particulars of its habits, movements, and means of subsistence. It is active and restless in its habits, and generally occupies the topmost branches of the trees. Its cry is loud and shrill, somewhat resembling that of some small quadruped when in great pain. Towards noon it is silent, and retires to rest in a quiet spot. Its rapid, gliding, and undulating flight is always accompanied by a succession of loud notes. The nest is usually from twenty to twenty-four inches deep, and is bored in the trunk of a sound tree. One brood of four to six pure white eggs is laid in the season.
The GREEN WOODPECKERS (Gecinus) are readily known by the large size of their elongate body, their slightly conical and curved beak, and short powerful foot, furnished with four toes. The wing, in which the fourth and fifth quills are the longest, is rounded at its extremity, the tongue is of unusual length, and the plumage principally green, of a pale shade on the under side, and marked with undulating lines; the head is occasionally adorned with a brightly-coloured crest.
THE GREEN WOODPECKER.
The GREENWOODPECKER(Gecinus viridis) is bright green on the upper portions of the body, and pale greyish green on the under side; the face is black, the top of the head and nape greyish blue, shaded with bright red; the wing is light yellow; a line on the cheeks of the male is red, in the female black. The quills are pale brownish black, spotted with yellowish or brownish white, and the tail-feathers pale greyish green, striped with black. The eye is blueish white, the beak dull grey tipped with black, and the foot greenish grey. The young are greyish green, spotted with white on the mantle, and whitish grey spotted with black on the under side; the eye is dark grey. The length of this bird is twelve and its breadth twenty inches; the wing measures seven and the tail four inches and a half.
The Green Woodpecker frequently seeks its insect food upon the ground. This species is met with over the whole of Europe; but though common in the wooded districts of England and Scotland, it is very rare in Ireland.
"Nature," says Mudie, in speaking of this species, "has appointed the Woodpeckers conservators of the wood of old trees, furnished them admirably for their office, and so formed their habits that an ancient tree is an Eden for them, fraught with safety, and redolent of fatness and plenty. So exquisitely are they fitted for their office that the several species vary in tint with the general colour of the trees that they select; if they exhibit an alternation of green moss, yellow lichen, and ruby-tinted cups, with here and there a spot of black, then this, the Green Woodpecker, comes in charge; but if they are covered with the black and white lichens of the Alpine forest, we may look for the spotted race upon the bark. When the renovation of the spring begins to be felt through all nature, the Woodpecker creeps from his hole and tries the trunk till he comes to a hollow place, andupon that he beats the drum in loud and rolling taps, but yet without in the least perforating the tree. The sound swells and sinks, hurries and lingers alternately, so that at a distance it resembles the sound of rustic glee heard through the woodland; if the Woodpecker's mate catches the sound she answers to it, the bargain is concluded, and the business of the season begins; if not, the male glides on to another tree, uttering his short cry, 'Plu-i, plu-i,' and again resumes his serenade. If there happen to be an odd bird in the forest, this call for a mate may occasionally be heard far into the summer. If the tree selected by a pair of Woodpeckers affords no natural hole for the purpose of nidification, they at once set about excavating one with their bills, working so fast that the strokes cannot be counted either by the eye or ear. They know the tree by the sound, and though they will cut through a few layers of perfect wood, they never mine into a tree unless it has begun to decay in the interior. Nature guides them to those trees where their labour is light and they have plenty to eat. In working they proceed as a mason does when he perforates a block of granite with a pointed pick, they thump away with so much rapidity and force that the timber is ground to powder, and they work in a circle no larger than will admit themselves. They generally burrow so deep that no spoiler can reach the eggs in their absence, and further security is afforded by the opening being in some hidden part of the tree. Materials are seldom carried into the nest, the bed for the reception of the little family being formed of the soft powder from the wood. The eggs, from five to seven in number, have a glossy white shell. The young are fledged in June, and creep about their native tree-hole for some time before they are able to fly."
THE GREEN WOODPECKER (Gecinus viridis).
THE GREEN WOODPECKER (Gecinus viridis).
THE GREEN WOODPECKER (Gecinus viridis).
The CUCKOO WOODPECKERS (Colaptes) comprise several species at once recognisable by their decidedly curved beaks and variegated plumage.
THE GOLDEN-WINGED WOODPECKER.
THE GOLDEN-WINGED WOODPECKER (Colaptes auratus).
THE GOLDEN-WINGED WOODPECKER (Colaptes auratus).
THE GOLDEN-WINGED WOODPECKER (Colaptes auratus).
The GOLDEN-WINGEDWOODPECKER(Colaptes auratus) has a long, broad, curved beak, which is compressed at its tip; the tarsus is considerably longer than the exterior toe, and in the wing the fourth and fifth quills exceed the rest in length. All the shafts of the pinion and tail-feathers are bright yellow or red. Upon the back the plumage is of a dull reddish brown, striped with black; the head and nape are grey, the former adorned with a crescent-shaped scarlet patch; the rump is white; the upper tail-covers are yellowish white, the sides of the head and throat greyish red, and the bridles and a streak upon the lower throat black; the rest of the under side is white, spotted with black. The quills are sulphur-yellow, and the tail-feathers bright yellow, with dark tips. The female is without the black cheek-stripes. The body is twelve inches and a half long and sixteen broad; the wing measures six inches and the tail four inches and a half.
This species, which is common in all parts of the United States, where it is known by the name of the Flicker (that word being supposed to resemble its cry), has been described at great length by Audubon. "The flight of these birds," says that graphic writer, "is strong and prolonged; they propel themselves by numerous beats of the wings, with short intervals of sailing. Their migrations are carried on at night, as is known by their note and the whistling of their wings. When passing from one tree to another on wing, they fly in a straight line until when within a few yards of the spot where they intend to alight, when they suddenly raise themselves a few feet and fasten themselves to the bark by their claws and tail. If they intend to settle on a branch they do not previously rise; and in either case no sooner has the bird alighted than it nods its head and utters its well-known note, 'Flicker.' It usually moves sideways on a small branch, keeping itself erect; and with equal ease it climbs by leaps along the trunks of trees or their branches, descends and moves sideways or spirally, keeping at all times its head upward and its tail pressed against the bark as a support. On the ground it also hops with great ease. Insects, seeds, berries, and fruit of various kinds constitute the principal food of these Woodpeckers. No sooner has spring returned than their voice is heard from the tops of high, decayed trees. Their note at this period is merriment itself, as it simulates a prolonged and jovial laugh, heard at a considerable distance. Several males pursue a female, and, to show the force of their love, bow their heads, spread their tails, and move sidewise, backwards, forwards, performing such antics as might induce any one witnessing them to join his laugh to theirs. The female flies to another tree, where she is closely followed by half a dozen of these gay suitors, when again the same ceremony is gone through. No fighting occurs, no jealousy seems to exist among them until a marked preference is shown for one, when the rest proceed in search of another female. Each pair proceeds to excavate the trunk of a tree and make a hole large enough to contain themselves and their young; they both work with great industry and apparent pleasure. Should the male be employed the female keeps close to him, and seems to congratulate him on every chip he throws in the air. They caress each other on the branches, climb about and around the tree with delight, rattle with their bill against the top of the dead boughs, chase all their cousins, the Red-heads, defy the Purple Grakles to enter their nest, feed plentifully on insects, beetles, and larvæ, cackling at intervals, and ere a week be elapsed the female has laid four or five eggs, with a pure, white, transparent shell."
Their flesh is esteemed good by many sportsmen, and they are now and then exposed for sale in the markets of New York and Philadelphia.
THE RED-SHAFTED OR COPPER WOODPECKER.
The RED-SHAFTEDor COPPERWOODPECKER(Colaptes Mexicanus), a very similar species, inhabiting the Southern States of North America, Texas, and Mexico, is of a light reddish brown on the top of the head and brow; the upper part of the back is greyish brown, with undulating black markings, and the lower portion white; the tail-feathers are greyish brown with bright orange shafts; the chin and throat are light reddish grey; the breast and belly somewhat deeper in shade, and spotted with black; the throat is encircled by a red collar, and the upper breast decorated with a black line; the chin is also indicated by a reddish line.
The manners of this species much resemble those of the species last described; it is, however, shyer in its habits, and but rarely comes to the ground. In the breeding season the male birds display considerable animosity towards each other, and constantly utter a note resembling the word "Whitto, whitto, whitto." The nest is made in a tree-trunk, and it is not uncommon to hear the eager active couple hammering and bumping away like carpenters until a late hour in the evening. The eggs have a pure white shell.
THE FIELD WOODPECKER.
The FIELDWOODPECKER(Geocolaptes campestris) is an inhabitant of the South American prairies, and represents a group that, unlike those already described, seek their principal food, not upon the trunks of trees, but from the surface of the ground. The Field Woodpecker possesses a slightly-curved bill, of about the same length as the head; its wings are long, pointed, and powerful, their fourth quill longer than the rest; the strong tail is pointed, and the slender foot furnished with very delicate toes. The variegated plumage is not very brightly tinted; the crown of the head and neck are black; the cheeks, throat, and upper breast golden yellow; the back and wings pale yellow, striped with blackish brown; the lower portion of the back, the breast, and belly are whitish yellow, each feather having black markings; the quills are greyish brown, with gold-coloured shafts, the primaries striped with white on the inner web, and the secondaries on both webs. The tail-feathers are blackish brown, those at the exterior streaked with yellow on the outer, and those in the centre on the inner web. The female is somewhat paler in hue than her mate. The eye is bright red, the beak blackish grey, and the foot dull grey.
The SOFT-TAILED WOODPECKERS (Picumnus) constitute a group of very small birds, with long, straight, conical beaks, which are pointed at the tip. The shape of the leg and claw resembles that of the True Woodpecker. The short wings, in which the fourth and fifth quills are the longest, are very blunt and rounded; the tail is composed of twelve soft, rounded feathers, the outermost of which are very short; the plumage is soft, and its feathers few and of unusual size. Most of these birds inhabit South America; Africa possesses one and India three species. We are almost entirely without reliable particulars as to their habits.
THE DWARF WOODPECKER.
The DWARFWOODPECKER(Picumnus minutus) is greyish brown on the mantle; the under side is white, streaked with black; the crown of the head is black, delicately sprinkled with white; the brow of the male is red, that of the female is of the same colour as the rest of the head; and the blackish brown quills are edged with yellow. The tail-feathers are black; those at the exterior have a broad white stripe on the outer, and those in the centre on the inner web. The eye is greyish brown, the beak lead-colour at its base and blackish at the culmen and tip, the foot is lead-grey. This small bird is only three inches and seven lines long and six inches broad; the wing measures one inch and ten lines, and the tail one inch. The Dwarf Woodpecker is met with in all the wooded tracts of coast from Guiana to Paraguay, and is frequently seen in the immediate vicinity of the houses. In summer it lives in pairs, in winter in small parties, that fly to a considerable distance over the surrounding coast.
The WRY-NECKS (Yunx) inhabit the Eastern Hemisphere, and are recognisable by their slender body, long neck, small head, short blunt wing, in which the third quill is the longest, and a broad soft tail of moderate size. The short, straight, conical beak is pointed, and but slightly compressed at its sides; the foot is furnished with four toes placed in pairs; the plumage lax and soft, and the very protrusile tongue of thread-like tenuity.
THE WRY-NECK.
The WRY-NECK(Yunx torquilla) is of a light grey on the upper portion of its body, marked and spotted with a deeper shade; the under side is white, sparsely sprinkled with dark triangular spots;the entire throat is yellow, with undulating markings; a black line passes from the crown of the head to the lower part of the back, and the mantle is decorated with numerous black and brown spots of various shades; the quills are striped with reddish and blackish brown; the tail-feathers are sprinkled with black, and relieved by five narrow, curved stripes; the eye is yellowish brown; the beak and legs greenish yellow. In the young the coloration is paler and the markings less delicate than in the adults; their eye is greyish brown. This species is seven inches long and eleven broad; the wing measures three inches and one-third, and the tail two inches and a half. The actual habitat of the Wry-neck appears to be the central parts of Europe and Asia. In a northerly direction it is found as far as Scandinavia, and during its migrations often wanders as far as Egypt and Eastern Soudan. Jerdon tells us that it is met with throughout all parts of India during the winter.
THE WRY-NECK (Yunx torquilla).
THE WRY-NECK (Yunx torquilla).
THE WRY-NECK (Yunx torquilla).
The Wry-neck, so called from its strange manner of turning its head, so as to give its neck a twisted appearance, is commonly met with in England, but is rare in Scotland, and, according to Yarrell, has not been met with in Ireland. This species usually resorts to woodland districts, fields, and gardens. "When found in its retreat in the hole of a tree," says the last-mentioned writer, "it makes a loud hissing noise, sets up an elongated crest, and writhing its body and head towards each shoulder alternately, with grotesque contortions, becomes an object of terror to a timid intruder; and the bird, taking advantage of a moment of indecision, darts with the rapidity of lightning from a situation whence escape seemed impossible." Caterpillars and various insects, especially ants, constitute the principal food of these birds. Bechstein states that they will eat elder-berries. The young are easily tamed; and in France are often taken from one tree to another, with a string fastened round the leg, to search the bark for insects.
Colonel Montague thus describes the manner in which a female of this species that he had tamed took its food:—"A quantity of mould with emmets and their eggs was given to it; and it was curious to observe the tongue darted forth and retracted with such velocity and such unerring aim that it never returned without an ant or an egg adhering to it, not transfixed by the horny points, but retained by a peculiar tenacious moisture provided for that purpose. While feeding, the body is kept motionless, only the head being turned from side to side; and the motion of the tongue is so rapid that an ant's egg, which is of a light colour, and therefore more conspicuous than the tongue, has the appearance of moving to the mouth by attraction, as the needle flies to the magnet. The bill is rarely used, except to remove the mould, in order to get more rapidly at the insects where the earth is hollow. The tongue is thrust into all the cavities to rouse the ants, and for this purpose the horny appendage is extremely serviceable as a guide to the tongue."
The following interesting account of an attempt to drive a pair of these birds from the nesting-place they had selected is given by Mr. Salmon, in theMagazine of Natural History:—"I wished to obtain the eggs of the Wry-neck to place in my cabinet, and accordingly watched a pair very closely that had resorted to a garden in the village for the purpose of incubation. I soon ascertained that they had selected a hole in a decayed apple-tree for that purpose, the entrance to which was so small as not to admit my hand. The tree being hollow and decayed near the ground, I reached the nest by putting my arm upwards, and I found on withdrawing the nest that the underneath part of it was composed of moss and hair, having every appearance of being the deserted home of a Redstart; the upper part was made of dry roots. The nest did not contain any eggs, and I returned it by thrusting it up inside the tree. On passing the same way a week afterwards my attention was arrested by observing one of the birds leaving the hole; upon which I gently withdrew the nest, and was gratified to find it contained five most beautifully glossy eggs, the shells of which were perfectly white, and so transparent that the yolks shone through, giving them a delicate pink hue. I replaced the nest and visited it during the ensuing weeks, when, to my astonishment, I found that the birds had not deserted the hole, but the female had six eggs more, which I obtained by thrusting the nest up the tree. Next week I again visited the spot, and found that they still pertinaciously adhered to their domicile, having further laid four eggs more. I repeated the experiment, but not having an opportunity of revisiting the spot until ten days after, I thought at the time that the nest was abandoned, and was not undeceived till I again withdrew the nest, having taken the precaution of endeavouring to frighten off the old bird should she be within, which I found was the case; nevertheless she suffered me to pull the nest to the bottom of the tree before she attempted to escape. There were seven eggs slightly sat upon. It seems to me very extraordinary that the female should allow her nest to be disturbed five times, and the eggs (amounting to twenty-two) to be taken away at different periods within the month, before she finally abandoned the spot she had selected."
THEHUMMINGBIRDS(Stridor), a family of most beautiful and fairy-like beings, inhabiting the Western Hemisphere, comprise some of the smallest members of the feathered creation. In these birds the beak is generally long, slender, straight, or curved, usually round, and sharp at the tip; the nostrils are basal, and covered with a large scale; the wings and tail are very variously formed, the latter being always composed of ten feathers; the very short tarsi are most delicately constructed; the long slender toes are covered with small scales, and either partially united or completely free from each other; the sharp-pointed claws frequently exceed the toes in length. The glorious plumagepossessed by the members of this most attractive family has been enthusiastically described by many writers, but never more eloquently than by Buffon. "Of all animated beings," says that naturalist, "the Humming Bird is the most elegant in form and brilliant in colour. The stones and metals polished by art are not comparable to this gem of nature; she has placed it in the order of birds, but amongst the tiniest of the race—maxime miranda in minimis—she has loaded it with all the gifts of which she has only imparted a share to other birds—agility, nimbleness, grace, and rich attire, all belong to this little favourite. The emerald, the ruby, and the topaz glitter in her garb, which is never soiled with the dirt of earth, for, leading an aërial life, it rarely touches the turf even for an instant. Always in the air, flying from flower to flower, it shares their freshness and their splendour, imbibes their nectar, and only inhabits those climes in which they are unceasingly renewed. The Humming Bird seems to follow the sun, to advance, to retire with him, and to fly on the wings of the wind in pursuit of an eternal spring."
"Along the whole line of the Andes, which form as it were the backbone of America," writes Gould, in the valuable introduction to his magnificent work on the "Trochilidæ," "at remarkably short intervals occur species of this family of birds of the greatest possible beauty, which are not only specifically but generically distinct from each other. Abundant as the species may be towards the northern and southern portions of the great chain of mountains, they vastly increase in number as we approach the equator. The equatorial regions teem with species and even genera that are not found elsewhere. Between the snow-line of the summit of the towering volcanoes and their bases many zones of temperature occur, each of which has it own especial animal and vegetable life. The Alpine region has its flora, accompanied by insects especially adapted to such situations; and attendant on these are peculiar forms of Humming Birds, which never descend to the hot valleys, and scarcely even to the cooler and more temperate paramos. Many of the higher zones of extinct and existing volcanoes have their own fauna and flora, even in the interior walls of ancient craters, wherever vegetation has gained a footing. Some species of Humming Birds have there, and there only, as yet been discovered. It is the exploration of such situations that has led to the acquisition of so many additional species of this family of birds, which now reach to more than 400. From Santa Fé de Bogota alone many thousands of skins are annually sent to London and Paris. The Indians readily learn the art of preserving them, and as a certain amount of emolument attends the collecting of these objects they often traverse great distances for the purpose of procuring them. Districts stretching more than 100 miles away from Bogota are strictly searched, and hence it is that from these places alone we receive no less than seventy species belonging to this family. In like manner the residents of many parts of Brazil employ their slaves in preparing their skins for the European markets, and many thousands are annually sent from Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, and Pernambuco; the inmates of convents are also supplied with many of the more richly-coloured species for the manufacture of feather flowers. How numerous then must these birds be in their native wilds; and how wonderfully must they keep in check the peculiar kind of insect life upon which they feed!"
In disposition the Humming Birds exhibit a fearlessness and courage quite out of proportion to the delicacy of their structure, and we might cite many instances of the fierce encounters in which they sometimes engage; we must, however, confine ourselves to an extract from Gosse's interesting little book on the birds of Jamaica.
"The pugnacity of the Humming Bird has been often spoken of; two of the same species can scarcely suck flowers from the same bush without a rencontre. I once witnessed a combat between two which was prosecuted with much pertinacity, and protracted to an unusual length. It was in the month of April at Phœnix Park, near Savannah-la-Mer. In the garden were two trees of the kind called Malay apple, one of which was but a yard or two from my window. The genial influence ofthe spring rains had covered them with a profusion of beautiful blossoms, each consisting of a multitude of crimson stamens with very minute petals, like bunches of crimson tassels, but the last buds were only beginning to open. A Humming Bird had every day and all day long been paying his devoirs to these charming blossoms. On the morning to which I allude another appeared, and the manœuvres of these two tiny creatures became very interesting. They chased each other through the labyrinths of twigs and flowers till, an opportunity occurring, one would dart with seeming fury upon the other, and then, with a loud rustling of their wings, they would twirl together round and round until they nearly came to the earth. It was some time before I could see with any distinctness what took place in these tussles; their twistings were so rapid as to baffle all attempts at discrimination. At length an encounter took place pretty close to me, and I perceived that the beak of the one grasped the beak of the other, and, thus fastened, both whirled round in their perpendicular descent, the point of contact being the centre of the gyrations, till, when another second would have brought them to the ground, they separated, and the one chased the other for about a hundred yards and then returned in triumph to the tree, where, perched on a lofty twig, he chirped monotonously and pertinaciously for a time, I could not help thinking, in defiance. In a few minutes the banished one returned, and began chirping no less provokingly, which soon brought on another chase and another tussle. I am persuaded that these were both hostile encounters, for the one seemed evidently afraid of the other, fleeing when he pursued, though his indomitable spirit would prompt the chirp of defiance, and when resting after a battle I noticed that the vanquished one held his beak open as if panting. Sometimes they would suspend hostilities to suck a few blossoms, but mutual proximity was sure to bring them on again with the same result. In their tortuous and rapid evolutions the light from their ruby necks would flash in the sun with gem-like radiance, and as they now and then hovered motionless, the broadly-expanded tail—the outer feathers of which were crimson-purple, but in the sun's rays transmitted orange-coloured light—added much to their beauty. A little Banana Quit (Certhiola flaveola), that was peeping among the blossoms in his own quiet way, seemed now and then to look with surprise on the combatants; but when the one had driven the other to a longer distance than usual the victor set upon the unoffending Quit, who soon yielded the point, and retired humbly enough to a neighbouring tree. The war—for it was a thorough campaign, a regular succession of battles—lasted fully an hour, and then I was called away from my post of observation. Both of the Humming Birds appeared to be males."
According to Gosse, the Vervain Humming Bird is the only species endowed with a song; this bird warbles very weakly but sweetly for ten minutes at a time during the spring months. The other members of this family at most indulge in a sharp shrill chirp, as they flit from one flower to another.
The GIANT GNOMES (Eustephanus), the largest members of the family, are not conspicuous for the gaiety of their plumage. The structure of their long beak varies considerably; the foot is of moderate size; the wings either long and slender or broad and short; the tail, which is of medium length, is forked at its extremity.
THE GIANT HUMMING BIRD.
The GIANTHUMMINGBIRD(Patagona gigas) is pale brown shaded with green on the upper portions of the body; the wings are greyish yellow; the head, upper breast, and back are marked with dark undulating lines; the wings and tail-feathers are dark brown, the latter enlivened by a green gloss. This species is two inches long.
The Giant Humming Bird inhabits the southern parts of Western America, appearing also in theextreme south. During the course of its migrations it has been met with at an altitude of from 12,000 to 14,000 feet above the level of the sea.
"Like others of its family," says Darwin, "it moves from place to place with a rapidity which may be compared to that of the syrphus among dipterous insects, or sphinxes among moths; but whilst hovering over a flower it flaps its wings with a very slow and powerful movement, totally different from that vibrating one common to most of the species which produces the humming noise. I never saw any other bird whose force of wing appeared (as in a butterfly) so powerful in proportion to the weight of its body. When hovering by a flower its tail is constantly expanded and shut, like a fan, the body being kept in a nearly vertical position. This action seems to steady and support the bird between the slow movements of its wings."