LAND BIRDS. 353 
that it is seldom seen outside the pine districts, and still another thinks 
it should be looked for only in tamarack swamps. The truth probably 
is that the bird is nowhere abundant and its choice of a residence and feed- 
ing ground depends mainly upon the food supply. In one district there- 
ae it may be found in one sort of timber, and in another in a different 
ind. 
Its habits are by no means thoroughly known and much is yet to be 
learned concerning them. Though usually considered resident wherever 
found, it seems certain that it wanders farther south in winter and it would 
not be surprising if stragglers were occasionally taken in the southern part 
of the state, especially on the western side where the pine forests formerly 
extended almost or quite to the Indiana line. 
According to Bendire, “‘Both sexes assist in nidification, which is 
usually at its height between May 20th and June 10th, as well as in 
incubation, which lasts about two weeks. Only one brood is reared in 
aseason. The eggs are generally four, mostly ovate, the shell fine-grained 
and only moderately glossy, and pure white.” The eggs average .95 by 
.71 inches. Although we are not able to give an instance of its nesting 
within the state, there can be no doubt whatever that it breeds both in the 
Upper Peninsula and in a large section of the northern half of the Lower 
Peninsula. 
Bendire states that its food seems to consist almost entirely of tree-boring 
insects and their larve, mainly Buprestide and Cerambycide, and this 
seems to be borne out by Beal’s examination of stomachs at the Department 
of Agriculture. Audubon, however, states that it feeds also on berries 
and fruits. Under any circumstances it cannot be considered harmful 
to the agriculturist, and as its insect food is obtained almost entirely from 
dead and decayed wood it certainly does no harm to the forester; whether 
on the other hand it confers any marked benefit is questionable. As a 
rule the insects which infest dead trees are not those which have caused 
their death, and therefore, their multiplication, which may be checked 
by woodpeckers, would not be likely to cause further harm to the forests. 
TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION. 
Toes two in front and one behind. . 
Adult male: Crown with a conspicuous squarish patch of satiny golden yellow; nasal 
tufts black; forehead and stripe below eye white, bounded below by a narrow black stripe 
starting from base of lower mandible; rest of upper parts glossy black, the wing feathers 
alone with paired checks of pure white; under parts plain white, the sides and flanks barred 
with black; middle tail-feathers entirely black, the outer ones white and without bars. 
Adult female: Precisely like the male except that it lacks the yellow crown patch. 
Length 9.50 to 10 inches; wing 4.85 to 5.25; tail 3.60; culmen 1.40 to 1.60. 
168. Sapsucker. Sphyrapicus varius varius. (Linn.). (402) 
Synonyms: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Yellow-bellied Woodpecker, Red-throated 
Sapsucker.—Picus varius, Linn., 1766, and the older authors generally.—Sphyrapicus 
varius, Baird, 1858, and most recent authors. 
Plates XXXIV, XXNXV. 
The adult is known by the scarlet on the forehead and front part of crown, 
together with the pale yellow of the lower breast and belly. In addition, 
the adult male has a bright red chin and upper throat. Both sexes have a 
45 
