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. Isaw 
it eat a number of leaf miners’ (Tineid) cocoons, which were attached 
to the smalltwigs. Some of these were undoubtedly Bucculatrix pomi- 
foliella. 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 (Mytilaspis pomo- 
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, 
