60 FOOD OF WOODPECKERS OF UNITED STATES. 



difference would hold with a larger number of stomachs. In May 

 only one stomach of cafer was taken, and it was entirely filled with 

 ants. Like those eaten by auratus, these ants are to a great extent 

 taken from the ground, and the usual quantity of sand was found 

 with them. Ants were found in 127 of the 183 stomachs, and 23 

 contained no other food. Besides the sand ants, some of the large 

 species that live in decaying trees and logs were eaten. These of 

 course are dug out of their burrows. Hymenoptera other than ants 

 are eaten by this bird so rarely as to be negligible. 



Hemiptera, or bugs, constitute 1.84 per cent of the flicker's diet, 

 but they are so far from being a favorite food that they were found 

 in the stomachs collected in only 4 months January with 1.92 per 

 cent, April with 12.50 per cent, June with 7.50 per cent, and October 

 with 0.14 per cent. In each of these months the insects were con- 

 tained in only one stomach and in April and June were all cicadas, 

 or harvest flies, but in the January stomach they consisted of those 

 curious and delicate looking creatures called lace bugs (Tingitidse). 

 Caterpillars amount to 2.12 per cent of the food and are mostly 

 eaten in the winter and spring months. This is probably owing to 

 the fact that the species taken are mostly wood borers and are dug 

 out of decaying wood in the colder season. March is the month of 

 greatest consumption with 9.11 per cent, and December next with 

 8.84 per cent. The amount in the other months is small. 



Orthoptera aggregate 1.45 per cent and consist of crickets with a 

 few bits of grasshoppers and locusts. They are all taken from 

 October to February inclusive, which shows that this bird, although 

 so terrestrial in its habits, does not join in the grasshopper feast in 

 summer. White ants (Termes), a few other insects, and spiders 

 collectively amount to 1.96 per cent and complete the animal food. 

 Termes are very similar in habits to the true ants, and are often 

 found and devoured by woodpeckers in their search for ants. Like 

 true ants, white ants do much mischief by boring into timber, and 

 are not infrequently found in the woodwork of buildings, which they 

 sometimes greatly injure, even to the extent of threatening the 

 stability of the structure. 



The following insects were identified in the stomachs : 



COLEOPTERA. 



Pterostichus permundus. Harpalus sp. 



Evarthrus orbatus. Anisodactylus dilatatus. 



Amara insignis. Anisodactylus piceus. 



Calathus ruficollis. Chceridium histeroides. 



Plqtynus maculicollis. Diabrotica soror. 



Axinopalpus biplagiatus. Anthonomus sp. 



Harpalus herbivagus. Calandrinus grandicollis. 



