Mr. Dozvneyf Here I am. JVell, you are not very large. Just how large are 

 you? Six inches. About the size of an English sparrozv. You do not resemble the 

 English Sparroio in any other tvay, do you? I hope not. What can you say for 

 the usefulness of your family? We are constantly ridding the trees of the 

 coddling moth, wood boring beetles, their larvae, and several bark beetles and 

 weevils. I pierce the bark when I have to, then with my barbed tongue I drag 

 forth my prey. Are there many of your people? Yes, we have the distinction of 

 being the smallest woodpecker known, but we make up in numbers what we lack 

 in size. That is zvell spoken. You remain here the year round, do you not? Yes, 

 we do. Before excusing you I mant to give you a little advice. I zvant you to 

 mend your manners in the treatment of your little zvife. The reports of your treat- 

 ment of her are not to your credit. I'm not always abusive, though. Only in the 

 winter time. Then when it is cold I want to live alone. / knozv that there is not 

 room in the nest for tzvo, but you need not beat her. You are excused. 



Mr. Hairy Woodpecker? Y-Yes, please, I'm here. You need not be afraid of 

 me. I zvon't harm you. Where do you belong in this great zvoodpecker family? 

 Please, your honor, I'm first cousin to the Downy. I'm larger and have no black 

 bars on my white outer tail feathers. That is about all the difference. Our 

 habits and food are much the same. You do not seem to be so much in evidence 

 as the Dozimy. No, your honor, there are not so many of us and we prefer the 

 woods to the orchards and the open. / should like to ask you, did Northern 

 Hairy come dozvn zvith you? No. We did our best to find one, but we haven't 

 heard nor seen one for over fifteen years. Before 1875 they used to visit the 

 tamarack swamps every winter. They are larger than we and their white is a 

 more hoary white. Thank you. If you ever see one tell him that I am desirous 

 of his acquaintance. That zvill do. 



Mr. Y ellozv-bellied Sapsucker? P-p-present. What makes you so out of 

 breath? Excuse me, but I just came back from my southern home today. This 

 is the time I nearly always return. Hozv long zmll you stay zvith us? Until the 

 last of September. Possibly until the middle of October. / notice that you have 

 more red on you than the zvoodpeckers that have anszvered so far. Yes, besides my 

 crown I have a red chin and throat. You have yellozv also. Yes, that is why 

 I'm named the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Do you really suck the sap from all 

 the holes tJmt you put in the trees? Oh my, no ! A great many people think 

 that I am constantly sucking sap. Of course I drink some, but my main purpose 

 is to get the sap to flowing; the sap attracts insects. The insects get into the 

 holes to collect the sap, then I go around and collect the insects. / understand 

 that you kill a great many trees by girdling them zvith sap holes. Pardon me, 

 but that happens very seldom. Please remember this, Mr. Y ellozv-bellied Sap- 

 sucker, not to completely girdle the tree so as to shut off the sap that passes 

 through the cambium layer, and do not touch the very young trees. 



Mr. Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker? Present. Tm glad that you are here 

 because you are not zvell knozvn all over the state. What have you to say of vour 



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