240 YEARBOOK OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Two western species of woodpeckers also are known to extract 

 larvae in the same way. Mr. W. Otto Emerson, of Haywards, Cal., 

 in a letter to the Biological Survey, dated March 14, 1909, says: 



Several cases have come under my observation when in the fall months 

 * * * the California and Lewis woodpeckers made their appearance in 

 canyon apple orchards and went through them, picking open the apples for 

 the codling-moth worms they contained. 



Other woodpeckers known to feed on the codling-moth larvae are 

 the hairy woodpecker (Dryobates villosus], Texan woodpecker (Dry- 

 obaies scalaris bairdi], red-headed woodpecker (Melanerpes ery- 

 throcephalus} , red-shafted flicker (Colaptes cafer collaris), and 

 pileated woodpecker (Pklceotomus pileatus}. Plate XI illustrates 

 work of woodpeckers, probably mostly that of the pileated, in search 

 of codling-moth larvae. The red-shafted flicker is given great credit 

 by Mr. A. P. Martin, of Petaluma, Cal., who 



writing to the Pacific Rural Press of June 27, 1890, states that in looking 

 over his orchard last spring and examining all crevices and bark of the trees 

 for the codling-moth larvae, he failed to find any, where there were thousands 

 last fall. He discovered plenty of cocoons, but in every case the former occu- 

 pant was absent. It was too early for transformation to have taken place, 

 and he found small holes in the bark scales which had been made by some bird. 

 His belief is that the good work was done by a bird whose scientific name he 

 does not know, but which is variously called the " yellow hammer," " flicker," 

 or " high hole," and which Dr. Merriam informs us is, in California, Colaptes 

 cafer. During the early spring months Mr. Martin states that they were to 

 be seen by hundreds in his orchard, industriously examining the trunks and 

 larger limbs of the fruit trees, and he also found great numbers of them around 

 sheds where he stored his winter apples and pears. As the result of several 

 hours' search Mr. Martin found only one worm, and this one escaped only by 

 an accident, for several had been within a quarter of an inch of it. 1 



So eager are woodpeckers in search of codling worms that they 

 have often been known to riddle the shingle traps and paper bands 

 which are placed to attract the larvae about to spin cocoons. In fact, 

 the beneficial work of woodpeckers in relation to this pest has every- 

 where been so conspicuous as to call forth laudations of the birds and 

 recommendations for protecting them and attracting more of them 

 to the orchards. 



FLYCATCHERS. 



One would not expect birds so expert in catching insects on the 

 wing to resort much to tree trunks for food, but at least two spe- 

 cies, the kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) and the western yellow- 

 bellied flycatcher (Empido-nax difficiUs), are known to prey upon 

 the codling moth. No fewer than 15 larvae Avere found in the 

 stomach of a bird of the latter species collected at Haywards, Cal., 

 in September. 



1 Insect Life, III, pp. 79-80, Sept., 1890. 



