32 THE FOOD OF WOODPECKERS. 
GREAT PILEATED WOODPECKER. 
| 
(Ceophleus pileatus.) ; 
Excepting the Ivory Bill this is the largest woodpecker in the United _ 
States, where it inhabits most of the heavily wooded districts. Itisshy 
and retiring, seldom appearing outside of the forests, and difficult to 
approach even in its favorite haunts. Its large size, loud voice, and , 
habit of hammering upon dead trees render it conspicuous. Its strength 
is marvelous, and one unacquainted with it can scarcely credit a bird 
with such power of destruction as is sometimes shown by a stump or 
dead trunk on which it has operated for ants or boring larve. 
Only 23 stomachs of the Pileated Woodpecker have been obtained; 
all taken in the months of October, November, December, and January, 
and collected from 6 States, the District of Columbia, and Canada 
(including New Brunswick). Fifty-one percent of the contents of 
these stomachs consisted of animal matter or insects; 49 percent.of 
vegetable matter. Tle insects were principally ants and beetles, with a 
few of some other orders. The ants were mostly of the larger species 
that live in decaying wood. A large proportion of the beetles were in 
the larval form, and all were of the wood-boring species. There were 
also a few caterpillars, also wood-borers, a few plant lice, several cock- 
roaches of the species that live under the bark of dead trees, a few 
white ants and a few flies, with one spider. 
The gizzard of a Pileated Woodpecker shot by Dr. Merriam in the 
Adirondacks, April 25, 1882, contained hundreds of large ants and no 
other food. Six stomachs, collected by Dr. B. H. Warren on the St. 
Johns River in Florida, contained numerous palmetto ants (Campanotus 
escuriens), and remains of other ants, several larve of a Prionid beetle 
(Orthosoma brunnea), numerous builder ants (Cremastogaster lineolata), 
one larva of Xylotrechus, and one pupa of the white ant (Termes), The 
insects were determined under Prof. ©. V. Riley! 
Seeds and berries of the following plants were found in the stomachs 
examined by the division: 
Sourgum (Nyssa aquatica). Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinque- 
Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida). folia). 
Black haw (Viburnum prunifolium). Greenbrier (Smilax rotundifolia and 
Cassena (Ilex cassine). S. glauca), 
Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis), Sumac (Lhus copallina), 
Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana), Poison sumac (Rhus vernix). 
Wild grapes (Vitis cordifolia). Poison ivy (Rhus radicans), 
‘Birds of Pennsylvania, 2d ed., 1890, p. 177. 
