156 Correspondence, [f^ 



So it is nv it li woodpeckers. The whole family has bad a black Dame chiefly 

 oq account of the damage committed by the sapsuckers. 

 it has long been known that sapsuckers do some damage to trees hut the 



subject was never properly investigated until the Biological Survey took up 

 the work, the results of which appear in our Bulletin 39 As a consequence 

 of tins investigation it was apparent that the damage committed by these 

 birds is very great. Manifestly it would be absurd to publish an account 

 of such damage without making some recommendations for the relief of 

 persons suffering loss. Even as it is, we are so far unable to recommend 

 anything practicable to protect trees in forests, and it is here that the bulk 

 of the damage is done, namely, the production of defects in wood which 

 cause a lowering in the grade of lumber from the affected trees. The pro- 

 tective measures recommended by the Biological Survey are available for 

 use only in orchards and ornamental plantings. This in itself tends to 

 limit the danger to other species of birds. 



The only known alternative to poisoning as an aggressive measure against 

 sapsuckers is shooting, and of these two. we chose the lesser evil If no 

 recommendations as to hum hods of combating the birds were made, no 

 doubt the majority of people would take the gun. We have advised against 

 this method and in favor of poisoning because if attempts to shoot the birds 

 w ere made, pracl ieally all ot her species oi woodpeckers would suffer severely. 

 It is well known that there is a great confusion in the popular mind regard- 

 ing the identity of sapsuckers. The poisoning method itself selects the 

 species responsible for the damage, and this is a thing which would never be 

 done in shooting unless a competent ornithologist were hired to do the work 



The Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers especially would be shot on sight. 



They are now very widely known as sapsuckers and they are very much 

 more valuable birds than the hummingbirds and warblers that visit sap- 

 sucker holes. Moreover, they would be subject to shooting at any time 

 while the other birds, with the exception of hummers, will suffer much less 

 by reason of the use of strychnine, because their visits to sapsueker holes 

 are only of occasional occurrence. We feel certain that we have made the 

 recommendation involving least danger to beneficial species. 



Some criticism has been elicited also by the unavoidable killing of certain 

 birds in the campaigns against destructive rodents in the west, but we may 

 be sure these complaints are made by people who have not suffered heavy 

 losses from the depredations of prairie dogs, gophers, and ground squirrels. 

 So also persons who have valuable trees ruined will not be greatly concerned 

 if in destroying the sapsuckers they kill also a few hummingbirds. The 

 latter in the words of Professor F E 1 . Beat, 1 really have •"but little eco- 

 nomic interest and that little is mostly in the wrong direction." 



The study of the relations of woodpeckers to trees in connection with Pro- 

 fessor Beat's study of their food habits, really for the first time made clear 

 the economic status of these birds. The fixing of blame upon the true 



i Farmers' Butt. 506, 1918, p. I" 



