OF VIRGINIA 157 
GENUS SPHYRAPICUS. 
[402]. Sphyrapicus varius varius (Linneus). Yellow- 
belhed Sapsucker, 
Ranxee.—Eastern North America. Breeds in Canadian 
and upper part of Alleghenian zone from southwestern 
Mackenzie, central Keewatin, central Quebec, and Cape 
Breton Island south to central Alberta, northern Missouri, 
northern Indiana, northern Ohio, North Carolina 
(mountains), and Massachusetts (mountains of northern 
Berkshire County) ; winters from Pennsylvania and Ohio 
Valley (casually further north) to the Gulf Coast, 
Bahamas, Cuba, western Mexico (Jalisco), and Costa 
Rica; casual in Wyoming. 
This bird is more numerous during March and Novem- 
ber, when many migrate north and south of us. Many 
do, however, remain throughout the winter, feeding in 
the heavy timber, and some remain to breed in our higher 
mountains. Professor Smyth records them as arriving 
in Blacksburg March 25th to April 17th, and also common 
again during October. This is the bird we find in our 
orchards, girdling the fruit trees with holes made by 
its sharp beak, in search of the sap, that of the apple 
tree in particular, of which they are very fond. Unlike 
the other woodpeckers, their food consists of only a very 
small percentage of insect life, though ants are taken to 
some extent. Besides the fruit trees, they injure and dis- 
figure ornamental and shade trees, while the forest timber 
also suffers considerably from their depredations. The 
U. S. Department of Agriculture states that “Sapsuckers 
are known to attack no fewer than 258 kinds of trees, 
