1798 



The Cornell Reading-Courses 



by tying strips of beef fat to a few of the branches and the destniction of 

 the codlin-moth larvae will more than pay for the trouble involved." 



It is true that during a few weeks in summer the red-headed woodpecker 

 because of its fondness for fruit, sometimes docs some damage in cherry 

 orchards ; but it should be borne in mind that throughout the rest of the 

 year it is an extremely beneficial bird. The yellow-bellied sapsucker, 

 on the other hand, has departed from the usual habits of the family, getting 

 a large part of its food from the sap of trees, which it taps with its sharp 



bill. The little round holes, 

 close together in horizontal 

 rows, frequently almost girdle 

 the tree and considerably 

 weaken it. It has been esti- 

 mated that a loss of more 

 than a million dollars is 

 suffered ever}'- year in the 

 United States by the blem- 

 ishes caused by this bird to 

 hickory, oak, cypress, and 

 yellow poplar timber. It 

 attacks many kinds of trees, 

 including most of the fruit 

 trees, and is said sometimes 

 to become drunk or stupefied 

 from imbibing fermented sap. 

 It feeds its young on wood- 

 l3oring larvae, and is there- 

 fore partially beneficial. 



TJic flycatchers 



In addition to the birds 

 usually spoken of as fly- 

 catchers, this group includes 

 much more higlily specialized 



Pig. 27. — Yellow-bellied sapsucker at work 



many other birds, some of which are 

 for a fly-catching habit than are the true flycatchers. Notable among these 

 in New York State are the nighthawk and the whippoorwill, the chimney 

 swift, and the six species of swallows — the bam, cliff, tree, bank, and 

 rough-winged swallows, and the large purple martin. They are all birds 

 of strong flight, and have long, pointed wings, and extremely wide mouths 

 for the capture of insects, which they seize while on the wing. Since they 

 are entirely insectivorous they are highly beneficial, and every means 

 of protecting them and of attracting them about the farm should be 

 employed. 



