94 American Horlicultural Society. 



can Horticultural Society at its next meeting will petition congress to pass such a 

 law. The hinls comtuon in this state are r()t)ius, crows, blackhirds, cat-hirds, 

 quails, thrushes, wrens, martins. Your reference to New Jersey leads me to say, 

 " we are proud of our Jersey women." Very truly yours, David Baikd. 



DISCUSSION ON BIRDS. 



President Earle, of Illinoi.s — Thi.s is one of our best papers. 

 Father Minier is an able ami honorable representative American 

 horticulturi.st. 



Mr. Holnngcr, of Kan.sas — I wish the author of the article had 

 described the bird which he calls the sap-sucker, for the bird which 

 usually goes by that name is so far from being a pest that he is one 

 of the most useful birds we have. He is a busy bird on warm 

 winter days, and feeds chiefly upon the larvie of insects and borers, 

 whicii he extracts from dead and decaying trees at a titue when 

 other birds are doing no work at all. 



Mr. Ragan, of Indiana — Tliere are several species of woodpeck- 

 ers which are called sap-suckers, but the true sap-sucker feeds only 

 on the cambium of the tree. He is difficult to recognize, as he dif- 

 fers from the others chiefly in the formation of the tongue. Wood- 

 peckers have long, elastic tongues, terminating in a barb. The 

 sap-sucker has a short tongue without the bar!), the end of the 

 tongue being a small horny spoon or brush. The essayist is cor- 

 rect in asserting that the sap-sucker is a destructive bird. 



Mr. Holsinger — Unless we can determine accurately one bird 

 from another by sight, had we not better save them all, lest we de- 

 stroy our friends? 



Mr. Van Dcman, U. S. Pomologist, Washington, D. C. — The 

 sap-sucker bores holes (for sap, and not for worms) with geomet- 

 rical regularity around the trunk of a tree, and the other woodpeck- 

 ers are searching for insects only in dead and decaying trees. The 

 sap-sucker is speckled white and black and has a white spot in his 

 head. 



Mr. .J. G. Evans, of Missouri — Another way to distinguish them 

 is that the tail of the sap-sucker is provided with a spike, with which 

 he balances himself on the tree in a peculiar way. His color is a 

 dingy Dominique or Plymouth Rock. 



