Relation of Summer Birds to Western Adirondack Forest 473 



Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Sphyrapicus varius variits (Linn.) 



Length 8.5. Crown and throat crimson; white loop from eye cross 

 nape to other eye; broad white stripe from bill to white under-surf ace ; 

 above, black and white. 



The Sapsucker lives everywhere except in the denser forest, mak- 

 ing a nest in a convenient stub, loafing at its birch sap holes and 

 training its offspring to lead the same life of lazy satisfaction. This 

 Sapsucker enjoys such a variety of habitats because it finds every- 

 where throughout the major habitat the trees which furnish it with 

 sap and cambium. In the Burn and clearings it finds the aspen 

 saplings which it can tap in midsummer; in open woods it has 

 plenty of adult birches from which it can select enough for a sap- 

 orchard ; and along the streams and shores there are hemlocks in 

 abundance upon which it can operate. A detailed account of its 

 sap-sucking habits has already been given (see page 420). 



* American Three-toed Woodpecker. Picoides americanu's 

 americanus Brehm 



Not observed at Cranberry Lake. Eaton ('14, p. 147) says that 

 its range is evidently confined to the Adirondack forests, it being 

 quite uniformly distributed within the spruce and balsam forests, 

 but less common than the Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker. It is 

 quickly distinguishable from the Arctic by the ladder-like arrange- 

 ment of white bars across the back. 



Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker. Picoides arcticus (Swains.) 



Length 9.5. Back wholly black; top of head black, with yellow crown 

 patch and white stripe on the side; outer tail-feathers white. 



The Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker was met with in the margin 

 between the Bog and the Virgin Forest. It is one of the shy, 

 wary creatures of the woodland, ceasing its loud tapping when an 

 observer approaches and clinging quietly in its place until the dis- 

 turber passes. A favorite position for it in working is on the 

 under side of an oblique stub or spire, and it generally operates 

 on the lower half of a tree trunk. Experts testify that three-fourths 

 of its food consists of " the direst enemies of the forest trees." 



Downy Woodpecker. Dryobates pubescens medianus (Swains.) 

 Length 6.8. Upper parts black; lower white; back of head scarlet in 

 male, not in female; middle of back and wing-bars white ;. outer tail- 

 quills white, barred zvith black. 



The Downy Woodpecker frequents the clearings of every kind, 

 but is seldom seen in the virgin forest. It gleans from aspen, birch 

 and maple saplings ; it hunts along the trunk of the smaller hem- 

 locks and hardwood trees; or it may alight on the sturdy trunk 

 of the largest maple, beech or birch, and pursue its investigations 

 into the topmost branches. Occasionally a small dead stub will 

 serve all the purposes of the Downy, and it will peck industriously 

 for a considerable time at one promising spot until it has unearthed 

 the object of its search. The Downy Woodpecker is very kindly 

 disposed toward human association, and will come into a dooryard 

 in its foraging, manifesting no fear under observation. 



