The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1898-03-25
A BIRDS STOREHOUSE,

Fred A. Ober, who has beeh a great
traveller, recounts some of the strange
scenes he has witnessed.
He is handsome bird, and if there
were not so many of his species he
would attract great deal of attention.
He has bright red head, black and
white body and needle pointed tail.
The tail supports him in perpendieu-
lar position on the side of tree while
he is hammcring, or rather chiseling.
a hole in its bark.
Now, all womlpcckcrs, having sharp
pointed heaks and very strong muscles
in their necks and heads. can drive
deep hole into the side OF tree or
stump, but this California woodpcck-
er is said to surpass them all as hole
digger, and he not only digs the hole,
but he fills it up with a nut or an
acorn.
This is the strangest part Of his pre-
formance, for, while great many 9th
er birds have the hole digging instinct,
there are very few of them that pos
sess the hole filling instinct. The
blue jays and the squirrels have hab-
it of accumulating supplies in the
shape of nuts and acorns, and you may
see them almost any day in autumn
snatching the acorns from twigs and
branches. The same instinct prompts
this woodpecker to lay in his stores
Of aeorns. Some people say, however,
that he never resorts to these supplies
again, but just lays them up without
a thought as to the future at all.
But this is not the way of nature.
She does not work blindly but always
with some wise purpose in view.
At any rate, this bird can drill a
hole in the very hardest wood. and at
this business he is employed almost
all the time. The holes are usually
made in rows, at regular distances
apart each about the size of an acorn.
He is never discouraged and never
gives up a task, even though it may
seem most formidable. He has been
known to surround a giant redwood,
over 30 feet in circumference, with
rings of holes, one above another,
from the root to the topmost limb; for
over 200 feet. l say she" did it, but
l mean, of course, generation after
generation Of them, for many, many
years.
After he has got the hole or holes
to his liking he flies off to the nearest
oak tree and secures an acorn, which
ho brings to the storehouse tree and
places it in the little safety deposit"
he had made for it. 1t fits exactly,
and so, inserting its sharp end first, he
hits it repeatedly with his beak and
drives it in to stay till needed.
SO long as the woodpecker confines
his harvesting to the acorns no one
except the Indians, who frequently
store them up for winter food, will
have anything to say, but this he
does not do. 1t is said TINT he likes
nuts as well, and a story is told Of
family of woodpeckers that completely
striped small grove of almond trees.
The owner of the grove thonght he
must have good crop, and when the
time came to gather it he went to do
so and, 10, there was not nut on any
tree!
But one of his boys, in toraging
abont, found an immense old oak
which was partly dacayed and riddled
with holes from top to bottom, and in
each hole was on almond! So the tree
was cut down, and the man secured
several bushels of almonds after all;
but the woodpeckcrs scoldcd him
loudly.