The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1882-10-12
t,WOODPECKERS.

| Of all the birds that earn their livino
by toll. perhaps none work as hard, as
the family of woodpeckers. ) From
morning tonight they are busy as busy
can be, boring into. trees in pursuit OF
insects for food, or chiseling out holes
for the purpose of making their nests,
and o.ten during the night, when not at
work, they sleep in the same painful
posture they take during the iabors OF.
the day.
Have you ever heard this wonderful
bird work. You have seen manidriil-s
ING hole in a rock am sure, and YOU
have also heard the sound of his tool,
with its click, click, click, Now the.
woodpecker has drill that he works
with in the same way, and what do YOU
think it is? Nothing but his little bill, ]
SO made that he can drill holes in the
trees, and you can hear the sound of HIS
tool just as you do that Of the blaster of
rocks.
If you were here among the beautiful
hills and valleysryou would find plenty
ofwoodpeckers, and they are all carrying
on these mysterious sknockings, many
times repeated. and very quickly, too.
on would be surprised, too, that any
birds SO small Lcould make themselves
heard SO distinctly, often at q distance
OF several hundred yards, working for
two hours together upon the same tree
They seek trees that are .decayed in
the trunk and branches Because wise
little birds know we'll that insects are
seldom found in live wood. \.
But how about the queer instrument
that performs this arduous work. It is 4
a curious contrivance enough; more
like chiset than anything else, it is I
hard and solid. too. and is worked by
powerful muscles, which act upon the
neck and direct its 'incessant blows 4
sometimes penetrating erent to the pithl
But wonderful as this Instrument Is Il
there is yet another inside of it more
curious, on purpose for pulling out the
worm or insect it finds in idpillfnp1al
very long, straight tongue, which ends
IN hard, bony point like a needle or
thorn. This is arranged with 9sharpi
teeth, pointing backward, very much i,
like the barbs of fish, hook. Is this
not curious arrangement? two instru
ments in one. "a -.
But how can the bird manage to use
them both at the same timer Let us
see. While the Woodpecker is busy at
ms drifting, the two parts OF his bill are !
closed tightly together, flakino a GOOD
wedge pointed drill, and at the Same,
time a snug cage for the insect catcher.
AS soon as he comes to an insect. he 1
opens this drill and pushes this lono
tongue with its barbed end into the in,
sect and quickly draws it into its mouth. i
Now. because he has to strike SO hard .
In drilling, the bones of his head or " /
skuH rare made much stronger sand |
thicker than most birds. for Won, know
that such heavy blows would iar them !
too much if 5hey were weak heaas
And God knewea this when He made
Inc woodpecker, and provided for It. Z
MOI onlythat, but in doing this hard /
srlil,hg ne must hold on. tightly and |
,nlrmiy' or ne would slip, is soon as he I
pegan TO work, and here is a provision, Il
Ioo-he has given him most singular I
ciaw' consisting of four thick toes. two
turned forward and two backward .fth., |
one resembling a spear, being longest |
ana stoutest, and joined to a very short I
ana muscular foot, which enables the !
plrd 70 cling very firmly and creep \
IN al directions around the trunks Of |
trees ft9sr zss 5l.7l,aT lIAH'S VI
his tail. too, with its ten stiff ouills
oent lnwards and ending in stiff, hard I
Points'.is used as a sort of rest, when Il
ne IS employed in an uncomfortable DO I
About the lastsof May the woodpeck-
ers prepare to build, their nests. They
nave good deal of hard word to do t
De. orehand; The male bird takes the |,
nfSt steps by cutting hole out of the +
'oho wood as round as if done by pair