WOODPECKERS. 



Hab., North America, from the Atlantic to the Eocky 

 Mountains. 



Major Bendire ("Life Histories," pp. 46-50) 

 observes : " The Hairy Woodpecker, like most of 

 its relatives, is an exceedingly beneficial and useful 

 bird, which rids our orchards and forests of innumer- 

 able injurious larvae, like those of the boring beetles, 

 Buprestida, which burrow in the wood and between 



where a few decades ago one could see some of the 

 finest apple orchards to be found anywhere, you may 

 look in vain for them now. Nearly every tree of any 

 size now shows abundant and unmistakable signs of 

 decay, caused by the increase of the insects which 

 live in them and the decrease of such birds as destroy 

 these pests." 



" The food of the Hairy Woodpecker, besides 



THE WHITE-HEADED WOODPECKER. 



the bark and trunk of trees. It never attacks a 

 sound tree. Although commonly known as Sapsucker, 

 this name is very inappropriate ; it is not in search 

 of sap, but of such grubs as are found only in decay- 

 ing wood ; nevertheless, it is exceedingly difficult to 

 make the average farmer believe this, and in winter, 

 when these birds are more often seen about the 

 vicinity of dwellings and the neighbouring orchards 

 than at other seasons of the year, many are shot under 

 the erroneous belief that they injure the very trees 

 they are doing their best to protect. In central New 

 York, and undoubtedly in other sections as well, 



larvae, consists of various species of small beetles, 

 spiders, flies, ants, and in winter, when such food is 

 scarce, to some extent of seeds and grain, and less 

 often of nuts and acorns. I have seen it cling to fresh 

 hides hung up* to dry, picking off small particles of fat 

 and meat, and in summer it occasionally eats a few 

 berries of different kinds. In the fall of the year it 

 can often be seen inspecting old fence posts and tele- 

 graph poles, probably on the look-out for cocoons, 

 spider eggs, etc." 



" Like all Woodpeckers, it is an expert climber, and 

 moves rapidly up and around trees in short hops ; it 





