The young red-head is a good deal like his father, only his head is
brown instead of red. A queer thing happened to a baby red-head in
Indiana one summer. He was found on the ground, hopping about in a
pitiful way, unable to fly. The parents and others of the woodpecker
tribe were flying about him, much troubled, and trying to help him. But
this young one had been hurt, or was not yet strong enough to get about.
He acted as if he were half paralyzed, and he was wholly helpless. Once
while the little bird was hobbling about and calling for something to
eat, and no one was there to feed him, a robin happened to notice him.
He took pity on the hungry baby, and brought him a nice worm, which he
took very gladly.
But still more strange was the way the family cat acted toward the
little stranger. When she saw him on the ground, she started for him. No
doubt she meant to catch him, for she was a great bird hunter. When she
got almost up to the little fellow, she seemed suddenly to notice that
he was a baby, and helpless. At once her manner changed. She went up to
him, and actually played with him in the gentlest way, not hurting him
in the least. She did this several times before the bird got strong
enough to fly. This is a true story.
The CALIFORNIAN WOODPECKER takes the place of the red-head in
California. He is most interesting because of one habit which gives him
the common name of "carpenter woodpecker." This habit is of storing
sweet acorns for winter use.
Other birds store acorns, but this bird has found out a new way. He
drills a hole in the bark of a tree for each acorn by itself. It is
generally a soft pine or cedar, and sometimes thousands of acorns are
put in one tree. Often a trunk will be filled from near the ground up
forty feet. The acorns are driven in point first, and so tightly that
they have to be cut out with a knife. When a tree is filled, it is
carefully guarded till they are needed.
Many people think they lay up these acorns for the worms that sometimes
come into them. But Mr. John Muir, who lives right there, and knows them
as well as anybody in the world, says the birds eat the sound acorns
themselves. Sometimes, when food is scarce, Indians go to these trees
and steal the poor birds' store. They have to chop the acorns out with
hatchets. They often take a bushel from one tree.
These birds are more social than most woodpeckers. Often a party of them
will be seen together. In his flight and his ways of eating this bird is
like the red-headed woodpecker. Like him also, he is fond of clinging to
a dead limb, and drumming, hours at a time.
But in looks the Californian and the red-headed woodpeckers are very
different. The Western bird has only a cap of bright red. His back is
glossy blue-black, and he has the same color on the breast. His other
under parts are white, and he has a white patch on the wings, and
another just above the tail.
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