The Savannah morning news., 1900-12-29
SECRET or nIRDsEYE MAPLE.
An old Maine Woodsman Discovers
work for TITS Tame WOodPeekeFs.
FROM the New York Sun


work for Hts Tame WOodpeckers.
From the New York Sun.
Patten. Me.-Afier having spent more
than sixty years and more than Si0o0 in
hunting bears and studying the ways Of
wild creatures. Greenleaf Davis has be-
gun 20 raise tame woodpeckers with the
purpose Of using them 20 convert ordi-
nary rock naples into the rare and cost
~ wood known as birdseye maple. Mir.
Davis is more than 80 sixty years ago
he inherited a mill property valued at
$4,000, which he soon sold and then he
went to the woods under che side or
Mount Kathahdln. Here he built a log
camp and spent much OF his time on the
trail OF bears and Indian devils. Of which
ne has killed more than any other man
in Maine.
II has been Mr.. Davis belief that no
creature should be kept in captivity more
than a month. ~ the creatures he
caught chose 20 remain win him after
thas period they were welcome 20 such
fare as he could afford TO give. II they
wanted 20 20. the doors we're open. In
this way be has tanned squirrels, musk
rats and woodchucks until they and their
Offspring nearly ovcrran his camp. With
birds he has been less successful, because
most OF them went away South az the
annual migrations. and when they came
back. n any did come back. they were
ungrateful enough TO prefer their liberty
70 anything that Mr.. Davis could offer.
Ha has two crows one Of which is more
than - years old which have stayed BY
him and never sought the society OF their
kind. Two robins lived with him for
three years. but persisted one cold night
when the camp fire went out. His great
success has been won with woodpeckers,
OF which he now has nearly 100. They
are Of che hairy and the downy species ~
about equal numbers. but more than both
OF these IN number and esteem are the
red-he0ded sapsuckers. which pick round
holes in the bark OF trees. making them
ioot IKE the bottom OF an old-styled CO
lander
AZ these woodpeckers did not migrate.
Nr Davis had company the year round.
lie put up boxes for them TO occupy a.
homes and Ia few years the maple
grove back OF his camp was filed with
birds The yellow hammer Is the only
specles OF the woodpecker family that
win live without insect food. ana atter
the sapsuckcrs grew very numerous, NJ.
D,vis had much trouble 60 feed them. lie
A., an tho ant hills and slfted the sand
ont 10 get the insects for his birds, but IN
Ito ~ his labors. the red-headed wood
reckere made sad havoc IN his sap orch
ara dlgging holes In his best naples ana
,,,rafrtne the fow OF sap from which
rsuch OF his living was derived.
n wag impossible to KIN the birds ne
cause OF enc company they anoroed. ana
n was equally impossible 70 i've Mlthoot
me income from the sap orchard. Ihe oia
a.
~. rss,tit Of the wounds which the
IA. ,nricted on the bark A. tho scars
ha.ied he noticed that there was a bright
80 snot lett on the wood directly below
~. v,ouud II the tree was badly marked
~. 81 snota were more numerous tnah
ne, Vere on trees which had suffered
- while on trees which the woodpeck-
srs rad not visited there were no traces
OF red. =. ~. -.
as the beautiful markings or hifdseye
..-.,,tc v,cre due 10 tho red spots In the
wood and as nobody had ever been able
y, ,ccount FOR them was possible that
lie variety Of maple known as birdseye
r,ighf owe ne oriRin 20 the work 81 the
,.-oo1reckera. II 20. he had made a dis
......r,, that had bafiicd hotanists for
,,s,rs ia had also learned how TO make
he colony OF tame wOodneckefs sei-suf~
porting .,.,. -. .,,,. .r,r,
,,,e sand with a paste formed from elm
- hoiied down 20 a thick batter, he
-. smear the trunks OF thrifty naples.
u-ith such food a. the ~cedpceksrs re.
I r,,iye ANA while they are getting a meet
/ from the bark their bills are boring new
I noins IN the trees that shall transform
n..,,,,.,, mamie wool, worth no more than
] sss !. thousand feet. into birdseye maple
I ,ra, calls anywhere for $50 and so thou-
/ s.rs ana the dealers cannot get all they
/ want az those prices