252 USEFUL BIRDS. 



beetle had been snugly coiled underneath, and had been de- 

 stroyed by the bird, thus proving conclusively to his mind 

 that these holes are made for the purpose of finding insect 

 food. 



But Downy does not confine his attacks to the hidden 

 enemies of trees ; he takes caterpillars and weevils from 

 twigs, buds, and branches. His young are largely fed on 

 caterpillars of various sorts. Ants and plant lice — those 

 ill-assorted masters and servants — are slaughtered in im- 

 mense numbers. 



The following, from Mr. Kirkland's notes, exhibits this 

 bird as a destroyer of the woolly aphis : — 



While in Amherst, Oct. 20, 1895, I was able to approach to within 

 six to eight feet of a Downy Woodpecker which was feeding on a small 

 apple tree. The bird was busy hunting the twigs over for food. I saw 

 it eat a number of leaf miners' (Tineid) cocoons, which were attached 

 to the small twigs. Some of these were undoubtedly Bucculatrix pomi- 

 foUella. Other cocoons were not oblong, but elliptical; nearly all 

 cocoons contained a small green larva. A subsequent examination of 

 twigs which the bird had searched showed that the cocoons it had left 

 were parasitized. On the tree were many bark lice (Myiilaspis povio- 

 rum), but I did not see the bird feed on them. The fact of greatest in- 

 terest to me was that the bird apparently sought out the small cavities 

 (made by pruning) on the branches, and fed upon the woolly aphis 

 (^Schizoneura lanigera), which had clustered in masses in the cavities. 

 This aphis sometimes does considerable damage to apple trees. Mr. 

 Frost is of the opinion that the aphis also prevents the healing over of 

 wounds made by pruning. It is a well-known fact that clusters of this 

 aphis commonly occur on the callus which develops around wounds, 

 apparently making it their feeding ground. 



The imagoes of nocturnal moths that rest on trees during 

 the day are taken by this bird, and he eats the eggs of many 

 insects. He may well be regarded as one of the best of the 

 feathered friends of the orchardist. But it is in the woods 

 and among the shade trees that the good qualities of the 

 Downy come out strongest. 



When the Metropolitan Park Commission first began to 

 set out young trees along the parkways near Boston, some 

 species of trees were attacked by numerous borers ; but the 

 Downy Woodpeckers found them out and extracted the grubs, 



