The Bulletin. 



19 



the maple borer, and the pine weevil. This last-named insect in- 

 fests particularly the buds of the topmost shoots of pine trees, thus 

 causing the tree to constantly send out side shoots, which of course 

 makes a crooked tree and largely destroys its value for lumber. 



Although about three-fourths of the food of the Downy has been 

 shown to consist of insects, it eats in their seasons certain berries and 

 wild fruits. It has been known to feed upon buds and petals of 

 flowers, wild strawberries, pokeberries, poison ivy berries, sumac 

 berries, and beech nuts. 



Flicker: "Yellow Hammer": (Colaptes auratus). 



Upper parts brownish gray, barred with black ; rump white ; top of head 

 ashy gray, a scarlet band (in the male) across the back of head; inner sur- 

 face of wings yellow ; tail black above, yellow below, with black tip ; a broad 

 black crescent on breast ; belly and sides thickly spotted with black. Length 

 about 12 inches. 



Range. — North America, west to Rocky Mountains and north to Alaska. 



Nest. — In cavities of trees. 



Eggs. — Four to seven, glossy white. 



MlR 



Flicker. 



(After Beat, Farmers' Bulletin No. 54, Office of Experiment Stations, U. S. Department 



of Agriculture.) 



No bird in America has so many local names as the Flicker. 

 Soma of these are Higholder, Wake-up, Walk-up, Pigeon, Wood- 

 pecker, and Yawker-bird. At Cape Hatteras it is generally called 

 Wilchrisen. It is one of the best known of our native birds, and this 



