194 



STORIES OF BIRD LIFE 



destroying millions of harmful insects, which if unmo- 

 lested would do a vast injury to the groves and orchards. 

 For all this service he never eats any of the fruit of the 

 trees he guards, but, when in need of a little vegetable diet, 



goes to the berries of the dogwood, or woodbine, or poke- 

 berry. Occasionally he eats a few weed seeds just for 

 variety. Downy is sometimes called ' ' sapsucker, ' ' and is 

 accused of pecking holes in the bark of trees for the pur- 

 pose of getting the sap. But Downy is not the guilty 



