St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1894-11-17

nv the hunter. rs it Is not good for
food, and is useful in killing snakes.
The road runner" has no representa-
tive in the east, and but one type In
Mexico.
The California woodpecker is known
to the Spaniards as ''carpintero." or
carpenter; so called from his continual
hammering on trees. The ''carpintero"
Is always at work on the nut-pine or
silver-pine trees to be found in the
foothills Of tho coast range. These
trees are his storehouses for winter
food, and until the rainy season his
shrill hammering is heard. drilling holes
through the bark, into each Of which
he puts an acorn. Each carpintero se-
lects tree, and when he has finished
drilling a sufficient number the tree
LOCKS as though 1t had just recovered
from an attack of smallpox. Then the
carpintero flies away to the nearest oak
tree and returns with an acorn in his
cast-iron bill. The acorn is driven into
the hole with remarkable tightness,
and then he flies away for another.
The rains wet the ends of the acorn
and grub worms wedge their way into
1t and eat the kernel and grow fat.
While this crop is maturing, the car
rintero is In his hole in some dead tree
not far away, taking it easy. When
hungry he ventures out of his winter
quarters to his commissary department
and eats-the grub-worm. Sometimes
he encounters the Digger Indian"
who wings him with boomerang.
The nut-pine has q large cone. which
the Digger Indian eats for food, and In
quest of this food he incidentally wars
upon the woodpecker. 1t is one Of the
prettiest birds in the west. Its plumage
is Of steel-blue. varied with red, black,
white and yellow. He is something Of
q weather prophet, not only from his
habits Of storing away food, but from
. peculiar cackling sound which he
utters just before the beginning Of the
rainy season.
The cactus wren Is peculiar to the
Colorado desert. 1t builds its curious
and unusually large nest in cactus
thiclxet for safety from its enemies. Its
nest is architecturally woven of desert
grasses somewhat in the shape of the
present style of mutton-leg sleeves
worn by the ladies. This nest, large
enough for half a dozen birds of tho
size of its inhabitant, is laid horizontal
" on the cactus bush, and thus ap-
proach to it is difficult to stranger.
The cactus wren Is singer, but has
only few loud ringing notes. clear.
sharp and musical. and its concert is
never OF long duration. This is about
the only life of the barren cactus Sec
tions it inhabits, and the sweet notes
amid desolation is a striking con-
trast. 1t is larger than the eastern
w.en. of brown color, tho breast white
and spotted. Its counterpart is the
European Tyre bird.
The oriole. the little songster Of which
poets chant, is seen in southern Cali
fornia to its greatest advantage. Its
brilliant orange plumage. black beak
ond black wings with q white spot in
each. form a pretty combination and is
seen perhaps to greater advantage In
this bright, clear atmosphere. 1t Is
known as the hooded oriole" from q
l1ttlc Su4I IA xCdtuCAS Oh SAONA.
They swarm In the orchards and
gardens and hang their little nests
amid the vines and roses that cluster
around the houses. They arc sweet
singers, and seem to never tire; neither
does tho listener.
The cow blackbird is different from
the eastern species, and will not visit
the. seashorc. The female is locally
called 1.-The tramp because it never
builds its own nest. prefcrrinr ia Law
its eggs in other birds nestA Whether
it claims the hatchlings Is mooted
question. The male = black with
purplish tints. the head and neck
sooty. It is train robber on a small
scale, accompanying tho freight trains
through the desert for hundrsds Of
miles. picking mp grain. They also
scour the fields when grain is being
sown. and make It interesting for the
granger Their notes are harsh. but
are somewhat melodious when they
sing in concert. as In some human
voices. When they cannot set grain,
they est grub worms.
The purple finch. species of tho
suuet. like the leopard. chspgea his