osed places, and
from ten to thirty feet from the ground. The male has been noticed
coming to the ground and throwing chips about, so that the
nest-building might not be observed. The eggs are plain white.

[Illustration: FLICKER]

RED-HEADED WOODPECKER (_Melanerpes erythrocephalus_)

Length, nine and one-half inches; extent, eighteen inches. The head
and neck are crimson; a narrow crescent of black on the upper part of
the breast; back, outer part of the wings, and tail, black glossed
with blue; rump, lower part of the back, inner part of the wings, and
the whole under parts, from the breast downwards, white; legs and
feet, bluish green; claws, light blue. Like all woodpeckers, the tail
feathers are sharp and stiff and help the bird to sustain itself upon
the tree. It can strike hard blows with its bill, and drill into the
hardest wood with rapidity and apparent ease. It will locate
accurately the position of a grub or an insect that is within the wood
of a tree, drill a hole to the inmate, and pull it out with its long,
sticky tongue. The female is like the male in appearance, except that
her colors are somewhat fainter. Woodpeckers as a class are
beneficial, and do much to preserve trees from destructive insects.

The red-headed woodpecker builds its nest at the bottom of a tunnel in
a tree, dug by other birds, or adapted to use from an already existing
cavity. The nest is a mere heap of soft, decaying wood, more attention
being paid by the bird to securing protection against rain than in
having the nest clean and nice. The eggs are white, speckled with
reddish brown, and are usually six in number.

[Illustration: RED-HEADED WOODPECKER]

BLUE JAY (_Cyanocitta cristata_)

Length, twelve inches; extent, seventeen inches. The head is crested;
crest and upper back are a light purplish blue; wings and tail, bright
blue; a collar of black proceeds from the hind part of the head,
gracefully curving down each side of the neck to the upper part of the
breast, where it forms a crescent; the chin, throat, and under parts
are white or slightly tinged with blue; the tail is long and composed
of twelve feathers marked with cross curves of black, each feather
being tipped with white, except the two middle ones, which are a dark
purple at the ends. The legs and bill are black.

The nest of the blue jay is large and clumsily made, and is placed
high in the branches of tall trees, the cedar being preferred. It