THE DOWNY WOODPECKER. 93 
on the juices of which it is not pretended they feed, are often 
found equally perforated. Were the sap of the tree their object, 
the saccharine juice of the birch, the sugar-maple, and several 
others, would be much more inviting (because more sweet and 
nourishing) than that of either the pear or apple tree ; but I have 
not observed one mark on the former for ten thousand that may be 
seen on the latter. Besides, the early part of spring is the season 
when the sap flows most abundantly; whereas, it is only during 
the months of September, October, and November, that Wood- 
peckers are seen so indefatigably engaged in orchards, probing 
every crack and crevice, boring through the bark — and, what is 
worth remarking, chiefly on the south and south-west sides of the 
tree—for the eggs and larve deposited there by the countless 
swarms of summer insects. These, if suffered to remain, would 
prey upon the very vitals —if I may so express it —of the tree, 
and in the succeeding summer give birth to myriads more of their 
race, equally destructive. 
“Here, then, is a whole species, I may say genus, of birds, 
which Providence seems to have formed for the protection of our 
fruit and forest trees from the ravages of vermin, which every day 
destroy millions of those noxious insects that would otherwise blast 
the hopes of the husbandman; they even promote the fertility 
of the tree, and, in return, are proscribed by those who ought to 
have been their protectors, and, incitements and rewards held out: 
for their destruction! Let us examine better into the operations 
of nature, and many of our mistaken opinions and groundless 
prejudices will be abandoned for more just, enlarged, and humane 
modes of thinking.” 
The nest and eggs are of the same description as the 
Hairy Woodpecker’s, except with regard to size; the eggs 
of the present species being considerably smaller on the 
average, measuring from .73 to .77 inch in length, by 
from .60 to .53 inch in breadth. I think that the nests of 
this species, as of some others, are used for successive 
seasons, as I have found apparently old nests occupied by 
breeding birds. I am not aware that the Hairy Wood- 
pecker uses the same nest several seasons. The Downy 
