Evening star., 1901-11-09

hush over all the earth No murmur Of
glad, soft leaves; no gentle, happy splash
of water as it falls; no bright bird music.
no shrill insect fiddling in palpitating heat
Inc wind has a torn, harsh sound as 1t
tosses the grinding branches and often
whistles in its haste. The water has a cold
shlvering sound as it drops from ledge to
ledge of icy rock. The occasional tapping
OF a Woodpecker or the querulous lisping of
some sparrow are the only bird sounds
and the insect voices are waiting for the
return of spring.
With Us Always.
The little hairy woodpecker is with us all
the year, but in summer, with it's grand
chorus of bird voices, We are apt to over
look him. When fall and winter have got
firm hold upon the world of nature this
cheery little carpenter can be seen and
heard constantly. No weather seems to
bother him or dampen his ever-buoyant
spirlts. NO matter how much snow covers
the food of other birds, his larder. snnp in
dead and dying timber, is always ready for
his sharp bill. At this season he is con-
stantly seen about houses in the country-
especially II there are red cedars in the
yard l have often seen these birds bnsv
eating the beautiful dark berries and bon,
ping about on the ground for fallen ones
VOW tney Will allow person to approach
quite @ close, simply keeping on the opposite
slde OF the tree trunk, peeping around to
see that you mean no mischief
II you nave never watched a woodpecker
Wnen he Is busy running over a dead tree
Sc searching ing Tor % insects 1t will repay you to do
SO at your hrst opportunity. He climbs up
ana around, tapping gently here and there
AFTER he taps once or twice he turns his
mead to one side and places it close to the
noise has frightened. If he detects no sound
ne moves and taps again. When finally he
nears an insect in the wood he braces him
self with his stiff little tail and chips away
the shleid which covers his dinner.
Busy All the Time.
During the summer months these birds
do tremendous amount of good but during
the winter their benefit to timber is beyond
calculation. Every insect destroyed during
the winter months means that MANY less
broods for other birds to destroy the COM
ing summer.
How wonderfully Nature has balanced
and planned all life, animal and vegetable,
The Woodpeckers, with heavy bills and
equai!y heaVy heads, cut into dead and dy-
ing timber and hold the borers and other
enemies Of forest trees in check The mt
matches and creepers, with long slender
probelike bills, ferret out all insects. their
larvae and eggs, which lurk in the creyices
OF the bark. The warblers and vireos return
from the south as soon as the buds begin
to swell and carefully rid them of hidden
enemies. Thus we see how the whole tree
is tended by Natures physicians. The small
"dIUASIS anu VlFeOS might be called
trees nurses; and when heroic measures
are necessary the surgeons, the woodpeck-
ers, come in.
His Family Nest.
Like all Of the rest Of the woodpecker
family, this small bird chisels himself a
nest in a dead piece Of timber in which to
rear his family. The nest is invariably so
placed that the driving rains of early spring
will not inundate it. I have never been able
to understand how a woodpecker can chisel
out the nest as he does. The hole is per-
fectly round and just large enough for the
bird to enter. AS soon as the opening has
been got well into the wood 1t Is turned |
downward at sharp angle. After being
carried down for some distance it is en-
larged so that the female bird may be able |
to sit on her eggs and also turn around.
How the woodpecker can, in the narrow
passage, give sufficient stroke to cut away |
the hard wood has always been mystery |
to me. OF course, it is easy enough to watch
a woodpecker when he has just started cut |
ting on the outside of limb, but his opera |
tons become puzzling when he gets out of |
sight, seemingly standing on his head and |
still busily chtseling away. He not only |
chisels out the nest, but, working in such |
close quarters, is able to make the surface |
quite smooth and at the same time keep the |
diameter of the hole nearly the same |
throughout.
Dressed for Work.
The plumage Of the hairy woodpecker Is |
well adapted to his hole-breeding habits, If |
his feathers were firm and round-ended, |
such as we see in common fowls, they would /
be constantly worn and frayed from pass /
Ing in and out of the small opening of the
nest. Nature has given him a coat perfectly |
suited to his habits, They are very loose, |
hairy-looking feathers; indeed. they so |
much resemble hair at the first glance that |
they have given the bird his name-hairy |
woodpecker. This same popularity of loose, |
hairy feathering Is seen in the titmice the |
chicadees and other birds which breed In |
holes in trees. - ~-s |
The voice OF the hairy woodpecker is a
Typical wpodpecker voice. 1t Is harsh and |
nnmusicai, but it Is one of the pleasant,
cheery sounds which break the chilly ST. /
lence Of the long winter sleep of Nature /
In size the bird is next the smallest wood 1
pecker we have. His colors are plain black
and white, having slightly checkered |
look upon the wings. The. back has two |