BIRDS AS CONSERVATORS OF THE FOREST. 267 



invariably remain throughout the winter after good nut yields, but migrate when- 

 ever the nut crop fails.* 



Mr. O. P. Hay says that in central Indiana, during a good beechnut year, 

 from the time the fruits begin to ripen the redheads were almost constantly on 

 the wing, passing from the beeches to some place of deposit. They hid the nuts 

 in almost every conceivable situation. Many were placed in cavities in partly 

 decayed trees; large handfuls were taken from a single knothole; they were 

 found under a patch of raised bark and single nuts were driven into cracks in 

 the bark. Others were thrust into the cracks of gateposts, and a favorite place 

 of deposit was behind long slivers on fenceposts. In several instances the space 

 formed by a board springing away from a fence was nearly filled with nuts, and 

 afterward pieces of bark and wood were brought and driven over the nuts as if 

 to hide them from poachers, f 



Now it seems to be fairly probable, if not absolutely certain, that in all this 

 passing back and forth, carrying beechnuts, some of them would be dropped upon 

 the ground, in places favorable to germination and growth. Observation shows 

 that when a bird drops a nut in this way it does not attempt to pick it up, but 

 simply goes for another. Nor is it improbable that many of these nuts are placed 

 at first in places where they can sprout and grow if left undisturbed, as must 

 often be the case. There is no testimony to show that the woodpeckers themselves 

 ever hide the nuts in the ground, as some other birds are known to do, but there 

 seems to be no reason to doubt that they might sometimes do so. 



The yellow-bellied sapsucker eats rather fewer articles of vegetable diet than 

 the downy and hairy, but they are practically of the same kind. 



The same may be said of the pileated woodpecker. This bird shows a fondness 

 for fruits, which constitute a larger percentage of its vegetable food than of any 

 other woodpecker except perhaps the flicker. The seeds of the sour gum, wild 

 grapes, and persimmons appear in many stomachs, and indicate that these fruits 

 are a favorite food. 



There is one seed that is found in the stomachs of nearly all the woodpeckers 

 and many other birds, especially in winter, whose presence there, however, is to be 

 regretted. This is the seed of the poison ivy {Rhus radicans), which is a favorite 

 winter food for many birds. The seed is surrounded by a coating of white wax- 

 like substance which appears to be quite nutritious, so that although it is but a 

 small part of the seed it evidently affords sufficient nutriment to supply the bird's 

 wants. It is not unusual to find a stomach completely filled with these seeds from 



* Birds of Connecticut, 1877, p. 66; Bull. Nuttall Ornith. Club, Vol. Ill, 1878, p. 124; Mammals 

 of the Adirondack^, 1884, p. 226. 



fAuk, Vol. IV, 1887, pp. 194, 195. 



