50 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1898. 



that is so common, and the Barn Swallow, are very valuable 

 indeed, not only as fly catchers but as catchers of flying ants and 

 a number of moths. 



The Woodpeckers are very valuable in gleaning from the trees 

 the grubs and larva? of a great many insects. The Flicker is a 

 very common bird of summer. It has a great many different 

 names — it is the Golden-winged Woodpecker, and the Flicker, 

 and it is known by a number of other names. It is perhaps 

 almost as much a ground bird as it is a tree bird, for it is very 

 frequently found feeding on the ground, and 50 per cent, of its 

 food is of ants — three thousand were found in one stomach. The 

 Downy and Hairy are two small Woodpeckers. The Downy is 

 the smallest of all and is very common all the year round in the 

 shady trees of the city streets. The Hairy is marked exactly 

 like the Downy but is a few sizes larger — the Hairy is about the 

 size of the Robin — and not one of these three Woodpeckers 

 shows a questionable trait. They are all very valuable and 

 should be protected and encouraged in every way. The yellow- 

 bellied Woodpecker, that is known as the Sap Sucker, perhaps 

 does a little damage to the trees as it bores so many holes and 

 strips off the bark, but it does a great deal of good in destroying 

 insects, it seems suflScient good to balance the harm it does. 



The Black-billed Cuckoo is very valuable indeed as it eats so 

 many caterpillars, grasshoppers and spiders and also potato 

 beetles. This is the bird that is often known as the Rain Crow 

 because it is supposed to give a call or note just before rain. 

 But I think that hardly holds good. He sings at all times of the 

 day and in all kinds of weather. The note is a little peculiar, 

 it sounds more like "Kuk-out" than "Cuckoo". It is a shy 

 bird and is often found feeding upon nests of caterpillars. This 

 bird has none of the traits of the European Cuckoo at all. It 

 builds a shabby nest it is true, but it builds its own nest, and 

 cares for its young. 



The Hawks and Owls are looked upon as birds of prey, and 

 are usually considered perhaps as doing much more damage than 

 good, if they do any good at all, but the Owl, and especially the 

 little Screech Owl, is very valuable, and it is very sad indeed to 



