The Canadian Horticnliurist. 



95 



THE WOOD-PECKER ON THE BIRCH TREE. 



Hv I>. NKur,, Caiakac,)!!, On 



HE vermilion crested 

 wood-pecker — I am not 

 sure about his specified 

 name, but he looks 

 ver)- like the Picus 

 Piibesccus* — is a bird 

 about six and a half 

 inches long, frequenting 

 orchards and ornamen- 

 tal grounds in the neighborhood of 

 dwellings, and with which almost 

 every one interested in the growth of 

 trees is familiar. 



Its color is black and white speck- 

 led. The male differs from the 

 female, in that he has a vermilion 

 colored patch on the top or rather 

 the back of his head. He is easily 

 distinguished from some other birds 

 of the same genus, by his loud single 

 note uttered, and sometimes repeated, 

 as he darts from one tree to another. 

 The young males are not adorned 

 with the bright crest until they are 

 over one year old ; consequently with 

 their first coat of plumage they look 

 very much like the mother. 



He is a native of North America, 

 and remains in Ontario throughout 

 the year. He is a remarkably in- 

 genious and industrious bird. 



For a place in which to make their 

 nest, a hole, as circular as if des- 

 cribed by a pair of compasses, is cut 

 in the solid wood of a tree, the first 

 part about six or eight inches hori- 



zontally, then downwards to tlie 

 depth of eight or ten inches, roomy 

 and capacious at the bottom, and 

 smooth as if polished by a cabinet- 

 maker. The entrance is judiciously 

 left just large enough for admittance. 

 The eggs, generally six in number 

 and pure white, are laid in the smooth 

 bottom of this chamber. The male 

 supplies the female with food, and 

 about the first week in June the 

 young may be seen climbing the tree 

 with considerable dexterity. 



The bird spends some portion of 

 his time hunting for insects on apple 

 and other trees, throwing oflf the 

 outer bark scales and moss in order 

 to get at his prey, such as spiders 

 and their eggs, wood-lice, ants and 

 probably some insects that may be 

 injurious to the apple tree, although 

 he never touches the bark louse. He 

 also has a mischievous habit of 

 boring small holes through the bark, 

 about half an inch apart, in pretty 

 regular horizontal circles around the 

 body of the tree, as illustrated in 

 accompanying figure, making it ap- 

 pear as if some human genius had 

 spent some time boring the tree with 

 a gimlet. 



I have seen orchards in which 

 almost every apple tree was perfor- 

 ated with thousands of these small 

 holes ; yet although many of the trees 

 were seriously injured, I am not 



♦Sir,— Since I forwarded to you article on the " Wood-pecker," I have found the same 

 bird fully described in Mr. Mcllwraiths ' Hirds of Ontario," as "The yellow-bellied sap- 

 sucker," Sphyrapicus Varius (Linn) Here he is said to be mifiratory, but he sometimes 

 stays very late and returns very early. He could be seen here in February this year 



March 28th, 1889. ' u >{icol 



