80NGLESS BllWti OF ORCHARD ANJJ WOODLAND. 25i) 



the wood and tlieii for an instant holds the point of ono 

 mandibU) in the dent thus made, while it listens for the 

 movements of the borer. He contends that the vibrations 

 produced by the insect in the wood arc conveyed through 

 the bill of the bird to its brain. 



This bird cats less animal food in proportion to its vege- 

 table food than does the Downy AVoodpccker ; and accord- 

 ing to Professor Bcal it cats more beetles, more caterpillars, 

 and less ants, than does its smaller relative, licctles and 

 their larvfc form fully one-third of its insect food, and a large 

 part of these consists of the larger wood-boring insects. Its 

 special usefulness inher(\s in its large size, its long beak and 

 tongue, and its i)ower of drilling decj) into the trees and 

 extracting from trunks and branches the larger pernicious 

 borers. In this respect the bird is more nearly indispensa- 

 ble to the forester and orchardist than any other bird of the 

 State, excci)t perhaps the Tileated Woodpecker, which is so 

 local as to be of nmch less value generally. Mr. J. M. 

 Baskett tells of some Siberian cral) trees in his yard that were 

 attacked by borers. One of the trees died ; but a Hairy 

 Woodpecker came, worked diligently, and cleaned out all the 

 grubs, thus saving the remaining trees. 



This Woodpecker is often quite destructive to hairy cat- 

 erpillars, and feeds its young on noxious larvic of many 

 species. It also attacks the i)ui)ie or chrysalids of many in- 

 jurious moths, among them those of the gipsy moth. Moths 

 that hibernate; in cocoons during the winter are ])articularly 

 exposed to the attacks of this Woodi)ecker. Dr. F. M. 

 Webster states that lu; saw one of these; birds i)eck through 

 the cocoon of the cecropia moth, and devour tlu; contents. 

 On examining more than a score of these cocoons, he found 

 only two uninjured by the bird. Ants, grasshoppers, and 

 spiders are eaten. 



Its vegetable food is nmch like that of the Downy, but is 

 consumed in much larger (][uantity. It sometimes takes a 

 little corn ; in summer it feeds much on wild cherries, and 

 in the fall on wild grapes to some extent. Like the Downy, 

 it eats a little of the inner bark or cambium from the tree 

 trunks, and possibly may take some sap. 



