152 FROM BLOMIDON TO SMOKY. 



peared, and no humming-birds were to be seen. 

 There were practically no insects to be found 

 near the drills. 



During July and August, 1890, I shot in all 

 eight sapsuckers at the various orchards. I 

 preserved their stomachs, which were well filled 

 with insects. Some of these stomachs were 

 examined by Professor Hagen, who wrote to me 

 on August 21st as follows : — 



" The woodpecker has hashed his food so 

 fine, that it is beyond my power or knowledge 

 to determine accurately the composition of this 

 bug-hash." 



Mr. Samuel H. Scudder was able to speak 

 with more confidence of the stomachs which I 

 sent to him. Under date of December 19, he 

 said : " The insects in the different stomachs 

 are in all cases almost exclusively composed of 

 the harder chitinous parts of ants. In a cursory 

 examination I find little else, though one or two 

 beetles are represented and No. 4 must have swal- 

 lowed an entire wasp of the largest size, his head 

 and wings attesting thereto. If the birds were 

 very different in habit, or presumably in food, 

 a comparison of the kinds of ants might lead to 

 the detection of some peculiarities. A number 

 of species are represented." 



It is worthy of note that the structure of the 

 tongue of this species is somewhat unlike that of 



