98 



WOODPECKERS IN RELATION TO TREES. 



mixture) with 1 pint of honey or other thick sirup. Apply to the 

 injured tree just above the rows of fresh punctures. 



A simpler way of poisoning the sapsuckers was discovered by Mr. 

 Ned Dearborn of the Biological Survey. The powdered strychnine 

 (alkaloid) was introduced directly into the fresh sap pits, by means 

 of a bit of straw or grass stem. A very small quantity sufficed for 

 each hole, and the poison remained effective for at least two days. 

 It should be noted here that humming birds and some other small 

 birds, particularly warblers, will be killed by poison intended for 

 sapsuckers. Nevertheless, taking all things into consideration, it 

 seems wise to recommend the use of poison rather than the gun. 



GENERAL CONCLUSIONS. 



From an economic standpoint woodpeckers may be divided into 

 two groups: 



(1) The woodpeckers proper, which are chiefly beneficial. These 

 slightly damage trees when excavating nests and shelter cavities. 



In some sections 

 they are responsi- 

 ble also for injury 

 to telephone and 

 telegraph poles and 

 for minor damage 

 to houses', barns, 

 fences, and other 

 structures. To 

 minimize this dam- 

 age the trial of 

 nesting boxes 

 especially designed 

 for woodpeckers is 

 recommended. 

 Killing the birds 

 should be the last resort. When all is said and done, however, wood- 

 peckers of this group much more than compensate for all the harm 

 they do by devouring large numbers of the insect enemies of trees, 

 many of which are preyed on by no other birds. 



(2) Sapsuckers, which are very injurious. The sapsuckers, unlike 

 other woodpeckers, secure a considerable part of their subsistence 

 from the tissues and juices of trees. In doing tins they often destroy 

 so much of the cambium or growing layer that the trees are weakened 

 and disfigured or even killed. Further, the wood of many of the 

 trees they attack is so stained and distorted during the healing 

 process that its value for lumber is impaired or destroyed. The loss 



FIG. 44.— Red-bellied woodpecker. Not a sapsucker 

 spot. 



Xo black breast 



