Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1882-10-12
Sap.Sucker Shooting,

Several of the smaller American
woodpeckers are sap-drinkers; but
only one kind, the one of which / am
writing, ever pccks holes for the pur-
pose of getting at the sap. He is
named by naturalsts Centurus Caro-
linus. lie is very cunning bird. One
of his habits is to move around the
bole of tree just fast enough to keep
nearly hid from you as you walk
around trying to get a good look at
him. This he will continue to do for
considerable length of time, but
finally getting the tree-trunk fairly be-
tween you and him he takes to his
gay wings and flies in such line as to
keep hidden from your eyes. Usually
he says goodbye with keen squeal rs
he starts away.
Down in the mountain valleys of
Northern Georgia used to amusc my
self with watching the little half
naked negro boys trying TO shoot sap
suckers by means of their blow-guns.
Such blow-gun rs they had is a
straight reed or cane about six feet
long, through the whole length of
which a smooth bore is made 10y
punching out the joints. The arrow
used in this gun is made of n sharp
piece of canc-wo6d not longer or larger
than knitting-needlc, with n bali of
Cotton-lint bound on the end opposite
the point The arrow is blown out
of the gun by the breath from
the shooters mouth. 1t flies
with so great force that | have
seen bird killed at a distance Of forty
yards. Some of the little negro boys
were very skillful in using the blow
gun and aS sly as eats in creeping up
close to a bird before shooting at it,.
Many people in Northern Georgia have
China trees on their lawns. The
berries of these trees intoxicatc or
render drOwsy the robins which feed
upon them, and then the poor birds
are killed very easily 10y these hlow-gun
Nimrods; but the sap-suckcr never
eats berries Of any kind. SO he keeps
sober and gives his prosecutors great
trouble, nearly always outwitting them.
for birds, like people. succeed better by
keeping clear of everything intoxi-
eating.
In our Northern States. when the
winter is very cold and all the naples
/ and ash and hickory trees are frozen So
that their sap will not low into our
birds pots, he is compelled to depend
upon the cedar trees for food. since
their resinous sap is not affected hy the
cold. Often have seen him pecking
away at the gnarled pole of an ever
/ green when the Thermometer : mercury
stood ten degrees below zero. and the
air was fairly blue with winters breath.
Even in Georgia it IS sometimes So cold
that he chooses the pine trees, finding
between their bark and the underlying
wood sort of diluted turpentiuc upon
which he feeds. While husily engaged
pecking his holes on cold. windy davs.
he is not so watchful ~ in fine
weather. At such times | have seen a
little negro "blow gunner" stick
three or four arrows into the soft bark
all around the busy bird bcforeit would
fly, and have been just as much sur
prised at the boy as ut the bird: be-
cause, il 1t was strange how the bird
could be 50 busy rs not 10 notice an
arrow "chucking into the tree close
10y him. it was equally strange how
that little negro could "stand it" to
be out so long in such cold. raw wind
with nothing on but a shirt .--MGurice
Thompson, ia 81. Nichol1s.