HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 339 



May 7th — Orchard Oriole is seen. 



" 10th — About all of the summer birds are here except the 

 Tanager Indigo Finch. 



" 11th — Indigo Finches are here in considerable numbers. 



" 12th — The Scarlet Tanagers have arrived and birds of most 

 species are about as numerous as usual, but are apparently a little 

 later in nesting. Without doubt the great majority of this list of 

 birds are more or less beneficial to the farmer and gardener, while 

 some of them are positively injurious to the forest tree planter 

 and fruit grower. In my estimation the one most injurious of all 

 is the true Sap Sucker (Sphyrapicus Varius Baird). There are 

 two of the true Woodpeckers that are frequently confounded with 

 the above, viz : the Hairy Woodpecker ( Picus Villosus Lin. ) and 

 the Downy ^Woodpecker (Picies Pubescens L. ), but which are 

 among our most useful birds, the more so because they are winter 

 residents. They are often observed flying from tree to tree making 

 diligent search for the pupae of insects hidden away under the 

 bark, or making excavations into the decaying wood for the larvae 

 of the various timber borers. They should never be destroyed or 

 molested, but rather encouraged to remain about our premises. 



The general color of the Sap Sucker or Yellow Billed Wood- 

 pecker is black, much variegated with white. Feathers of the back 

 and rump brownish white, spotted with black; crown scarlet, bor- 

 dered by black on sides of the head and nape; a white streak along 

 the eye, another from the bristly part of the bill passing below the 

 eye into the yellowish color of the belly and a stripe along the 

 edges of the wing, coverts also white; a triangular brown patch of 

 scarlet on the chin bordered on each side by black stripes from the 

 lower mandible which meet behind and extend into a large quadrate 

 on the breast. Outer feathers black, edged and spotted with white, 

 the rest of the under parts yellowish white, streaked on the sides 

 with black. Length 8^ inches. Female with the red of the throat 

 replaced with white. At certain seasons of the year this bird does 

 very serious injury to some varieties of fruit, forest and ornamen- 

 tal trees. Upon its arrival in the spring it may be seen cutting 

 round holes through the bark upon the trunks just below the 

 branches, and higher up on the larger branches of the Spruce, 

 Pines, Mountain Ash, Apple, and some others. These holes are 

 from one-fourth to one-half inch apart and extend in a line encir- 

 cling the tree one line above another, so that the tree or branch is 

 so completely girdled that it either receives a severe check or is 

 killed altogether. Not only does this bird commit its depredations 

 in the orchard but in the forest also. In the spring aud fall its 

 principal food is the inner bark of trees, and its tongue is not like 

 that of insect eating Woodpeckers, but short and not at all adapted 

 to searching for insects. Small shot and a sharp look out are the 

 means that should be used to prevent its depredations. 



