FOOD OF SOME WELL-KNOWN BIEDS. 9 



to southwestern Canada and south to northern Mexico. It is by nature 

 somewhat shy, not greatly addicted to visiting orchards or other 

 cultivated areas. 



In Oregon and Washington complaints have been made that the 

 bird does damage to apples. Only twice was the writer able to find 

 cases of serious injury. An orchard situated close to a river on the 

 far side of which was a large area of wild land was so persistently 

 visited by Lewis woodpeckers when early apples were ripening that 

 the pickers had to shoot the birds in order to save the crop. One 

 evening a number of boxes, filled ready for market, were left in the 

 orchard. In the morning it was found that the woodpeckers had 

 pulled out the wrapping paper from the cracks of several of the 

 boxes and pecked the fruit so that it was necessary to open and 

 repack them. 



For the investigation of this bird's food 59 stomachs were avail- 

 able. They are so irregularly distributed over the year as to make 

 a satisfactory study of the food impossible. Animal matter amounts 

 to 37.48 per cent and vegetable to 62.52 per cent. 



Animal food. — Predaceous beetles were eaten to the extent of 6.72 

 per cent, and, as is usually the case, appear to have been taken 

 mostly in the spring and early summer. Other beetles amounted to 

 2.40 per cent and were all eaten in the five months from June to 

 October. Among them were several blister beetles (Meloidse). 

 There is nothing in the stomachs to indicate that this bird ever digs 

 into wood, decayed or otherwise, in search of beetle larvse. 



Ants were eaten most in summer and in April. June appears to 

 be the month of maximum consumption, while May shows none. 

 The average for the year is 11.87 per cent. Other Hymenoptera 

 reach 11.57 per cent. Hemiptera, or bugs, seem to be taken very 

 sparingly, and those chosen were of the larger species. They amount 

 to 1.36 per cent. Grasshoppers are eaten — not many in August, more 

 in July, and most in September, with a trace in October. The aver- 

 age for the year is 3.20 per cent. No caterpillars or Lepidoptera 

 of any form were found in this bird's stomach. A few spiders 

 amount to less than 1 per cent. 



Vegetable food. — Corn was found in one stomach taken in August 

 and constituted 62 per cent of its contents, but amounted to only 

 0.46 per cent of the food of the year. No other grain was found. 

 Pulp and skins of fruit, probably cultivated, were noted in March, 

 the three summer months, and October. The aggregate for the year 

 was 10.90 per cent. Wild fruit was identified in 26 stomachs, all 

 taken in July, August, and September. In the former it amounted 

 to over 63 per cent of the food and the average for the j'ear was 

 14.65 per cent. Six genera {Amelanchier, Ilex, Cratcpgiis, Cornus, 

 Pi'unus, and Sambvcus) were identified. Mast (acorns) was the 

 50679°— Bull. 506—12 2 



