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 larvas 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 



