LAND BIRDS. 353 



that it is seldom seen outside the pine districts, and still another thinks 

 it should be looked for only in tamarack swamps. The truth probably 

 is that the bird is nowhere abundant and its choice of a residence and feed- 

 ing ground depends mainly upon the food supply. In one district there- 

 fore, it may be found in one sort of timber, and in another in a different 

 kind. 



Its habits are by no means thoroughly known and much is yet to be 

 learned concerning them. Though usually considered resident wherever 

 found, it seems certain that it wanders farther south in winter and it would 

 not be surprising if stragglers were occasionally taken in the southern part 

 of the state, especially on the western side where the pine forests formerly 

 extended almost or quite to the Indiana line. 



According to Bendire, "Both sexes assist in nidification, which is 

 usually at its height between May 20th and June 10th, as well as in 

 incubation, which lasts about two weeks. Only one brood is reared in 

 a season. The eggs are generally four, mostly ovate, the shell fine-grained 

 and only moderately glossy, and pure white." The eggs average .95 by 

 .71 inches. Although we are not able to give an instance of its nesting 

 within the state, there can be no doubt whatever that it breeds both in the 

 Upper Peninsula and in a large section of the northern half of the Lower 

 Peninsula. 



Bendire states that its food seems to consist almost entirely of tree-boring 

 insects and their larvie, mainly Buprestidse and Cerambycidse, and this 

 seems to be borne out by Beal's examination of stomachs at the Department 

 of Agriculture. Audubon, however, states that it feeds also on berries 

 and fruits. Under any circumstances it cannot be considered harmful 

 to the agriculturist, and as its insect food is obtained almost entirely from 

 dead and decaj'ed wood it certainly does no harm to the forester; whether 

 on the other hand it confers any marked benefit is questionable. As a 

 rule the insects which infest dead trees are not those which have caused 

 their death, and therefore, their multiplication, which may be checked 

 by woodpeckers, would not be likely to cause further harm to the forests. 



TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION. 



Toes two in front and one behind. 



Adult male: Crown with a conspicuous squarish paich of satiny golden yellow; nasal 

 tufts black; forehead and stripe below eye white, bounded below by a narrow black stripe 

 starting from base of lower mandible; rest of upper parts glossy black, the ^ving feathers 

 alone with paired checks of pure white; under parts plain white, the sides and flanks barred 

 with black; middle tail-feathers entirely black, the outer ones white and without bars. 



Adult female: Preciselj^ like the male except tliat it lacks the yellow crown patch. 



Length 9.50 to 10 inches; wing 4.85 to 5.25; tail 3.60; culmen L40 to l.GO. 



168. Sapsucker. Sphyrapicus varius varius. (Linn.). (402) 



Synonyms: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Yellow-bellied Woodpecker, Red-throated 

 Sapsucker. — Picus varius, Linn., 1766, and the older authors generally. — Sphyrapicus 

 varius, Baird, 1858, and most recent authors. 



Plates XXXIV, XXXV. 



The adult is known by the scarlet on the forehead and front pait of crown, 

 together with the i)ale yellow of the lower breast and belly. In addition, 

 the adult male has a bright red chin and upper throat. Both sexes have a 

 45 



