Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1889-01-11

habits are quite different. The red headed |
woodpecker. which was once abundant, |
but is now seldom seen here, eats straw
berries, cherries, and even corn, while |
some of the other species subsist almost en-
tirely on insects and the Larvae of insects.
The downy woodpecker or sap-sucker, RI
Gus puJesceHs is the one that drills the ring
Of small holes around the trunk of the apple
tree. Like the red headed woodpecker,
this kind is now becoming scarce. 1t is
rare to find young apple tree crcled about
the trunk with the holes made by this bird
but the old orchards show abundant evi-
dence of their industry and their plentiful
numbers years ago. 1t has been question
Just what this woodpecker was seeking in
his perforations of the green bark and
wood of the apple tree. Many have taken
it for granted, as the name sap sucker in
dictates. that the only object that the bird
could have in drilling these holes in the
green wood was to get a taste of the sap,
but it is still a question whether any sap Is
taken, or whether the bird does not benefit
rather than injure the tree. There can be
no question that all the other species of
woodpeckers that are found here are
great benefit to fruit trees, and this one Is
considered no exception by most ornitholo-
gists who have observed its habits. A nat
uralist. formerly in the employ of the de
partment of agriculture, says: The wood
peckers are, i'll general, very beneficial to
the orchardst, by destroying the larva of
beetles, which, if left undisturbed, would
probably kill the tree infested by them.
The stomach of a specimen of the downy
woodpecker, sometimes called sapsucker
from the erroneous impression that it sucks
the sap of trees, shot in February, was fill
ed with black ants This bird is said to be
injurious by making perforations around
the trunks and branches of orchard trees,
in regular circles probably to taste the sap
or feed on the young wood. Nuttall states,
however, that trees thus perforated are not
injured, but thrive as well or better than
those unperforated. \ downy woodpecker
was observed by this writer making a
number of small rough edged perforations
in the bark of young ash tree, and upon
examining the tree when the bird had
flown. it was found that wherever the bark
had been injured, the young larvR of a
wood-eating beetle had been snugly cooled
underneath and had been destroyed by
the bird -
Another naturalist says that all of the
woodpeckers are among our most beneh-
cial birds They subsist almost entirely
upon the Larvae of injurious beetles which
live in the trunk and limbs of trees. In
procuring these the woodpecker is guided
by keen sense of hearing in detecting
their presence, when hole is bored or
dug by succession of powerful blows of
its beak the long, barbed tongue is intro
duced and the grub withdrawn. The in
jury these insects do to our fruit and forest
trees may be safely estimated at millions of
dollars annually in the United States and
as we know their ravages would be almost
unchecked were it not for the woodpeck
ers, who are their principal enemies, we
should at least extend our protection to
these birds, and encourage their presence
The same writer-Mr Edward A Samu-
els-relates that in the spring of 1865 he
was one of a surveying party in Ohio where,
on one occasion, he was observing a wood
pecker busy in knocking off the bark of
dead stub with such industry that he was
permitted to approach within twenty feet
of it.
What are you looking at that plaguey
sap-sucker for" enquired one Of the men,
'Shoot it it is the scamp that spoils all
our fruit trees.
Jack, he replied, that bird is no sap
sucker Don't you see the stub is dead,
and there is no sap in it =
That makes no difference explained
one of the others, 1t is only amusing itself
knocking off the bark it is a humbug.'
"Humbug or not said the first man,
1--WE will see what it is made of, and be
fore Mr.. Samuels could prevent him he siez
ed the gun and shot the bird
At that moment a red headed woodpeck-
er alighted ON a tree near by, and at the
exclamation from one of the men, There's
another sap-sucker,' the man, who still
held the gun, fired the loaded barrel and
the second bird fell to the ground. Mr..
Samuels then saw the opportunity to teach
a useful lesson TO these men Taking the
birds, he showed them that they were en-
tirely different in species, and consequent
ly but one could he true sap sucker He
He then proceeded to dissect both speci-
mems In the stomach of one, which was
the common yellow-bel woodpecker
ca led a ap-sucker at the West he found
five boring beetles the wings Of at least a
dozen small wood eating beetles, some ants
and little vegetable matter. In the stom-
ach Of The red headed woodpecker were
two or three Of the stones Of some small
berries some ants, a beetle, and seven
grubs or borers 1t was tangible fact to
these men that the woodpeckers, instead of
suh-isting upon the sap of trees, were emf
nenty insect feeders, and he was gratihed
to hear the men, a day or two afterward,
telling some of their friends what had been
discovered, and cautioning them against
killing sap-suckcrs
Examinations of the stomach of the downy
woodpccker have been made in different
localities aud in different seasons with the
following result March s. contents of
stomach s'ole., n larvu Of small insects
March ~, large seeds aud insects June ,,
small insect, and stones Sept 10, soft
worms and larva Sept rs small insects
Nov. - seeds gruhs aud small insects