File:British birds with their nests and eggs (1896) (14563972188).jpg

Identifier: britishbirdswith03butl (find matches)
Title: British birds with their nests and eggs
Year: 1896 (1890s)
Authors: Butler, Arthur Gardiner, 1844-1925
Subjects: Birds Birds
Publisher: London, Brumby & Clarke
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: American Museum of Natural History Library

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Text Appearing Before Image:
(July 8th, 2 p.m.), the Wood-pecker is flitting from one strip of cork to another, uttering a cry which may berendered cack, cack; from time to time he darts his long tongue into thecrevices of cork. July 9th. It is noticeable that when the Woodpecker wishes to descend,he slides down the cork in jerks, tail downwards, like his wild brethren, incontradistinction to the Nuthatch. Strawberries pushed to him- in the cleft-switch he accepts gratefully; a moment ago he nearly choked in trying toswallow a large husk, and, now that his shyness is working off, he accepts thefruit and also mealworms from my fingers. To summarise the food given between this date and the date of the deathof this bird—September and, I will just mention that, in addition to bread andmilk, strawberries and mealworms, Mr. Macphersons bird devoured pulp of blackcherries, red-currants, nuts, cracknel and sweet biscuits, and plum-cake (of whichhe rejected the lemon-peel); he seems to have invariably refused ^%%. Mr. I
Text Appearing After Image:
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker i 2 The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. ?7 Macpherson observes:—! am imidi struck ))y tlic adroit way in which hecatches a morsel of food wliicli he lias let drop : lie does so either on hischest pressed suddenly to the Ijark to intercept it, or across the tarsi ; on morethan one occasion I have seen liini move a leg to intercept a falling meal-worm, and this with unvarying success. By July the 14th the Woodpecker had done consideraljle damage to thewoodwork of his cage, and on August 4th Mr. Macpherson turned him into asmall outdoor aviary; he lived on excellent terms with the small birds in theaviary, though when kept indoors, he showed a great hatred to some youngRed-backed Shrikes. Mr. Macpherson writes that two examples of this species were brought tohim in 1894, and his friend Thorpe reared one of them; but it escaped fromhis aviary in the following winter through the folly of a manservant. Fa7nily—PICIDAi. Subfamily—P/C/N^. The Lesser Spotted Woodpeck

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