32 FOOD OF WOODPECKERS OF UNITED STATES. 



were eaten freely in every month in which stomachs were taken 

 except February, and 4 stomachs contained nothing else. Other 

 Hymenoptera aggregate a little more than 7 per cent. Beetles of all 

 kinds amount to only 4 per cent, and none of them are of useful 

 species. The greater number belong to the family Chrysomelidse, or 

 leaf-eaters. Diachus auratus was the only one identified. One 

 stomach contained the remains of RMnosimus pallipes, a member of 

 the Pythidse, a small and rather rare family. Caterpillars were 

 found in 2 stomachs, locust eggs in 1, and a caterpillar formed the 

 entire contents of 1. All these amount to 15 per cent, and make up 

 the rest of the animal food. 



Vegetable food. — Of the vegetable food, fruit constitutes 12.69 per 

 cent. Berries of the pepper tree {Schinus molle) were found in 3 

 stomachs, cascara (Rliamnus californicus) in 1, pulp not further 

 identified in 3, and figs in 1. Only the last is of any economic import- 

 ance. Seeds of poison oak were found in 4 stomachs, wax myrtle 

 ( Myrica califomica) in 1 , and unidentified seeds in 1 . Seeds altogether 

 amount to 5.96 per cent. Cambium was found in only 6 stomachs, 

 but aggregated 11.13 per cent, which is three-fourths as much as was 

 eaten by S. varius. Nearly all that had taken it at all had eaten a 

 good percentage. Stomach examinations alone do not enable us to 

 settle the status of the bird, for which more material and some field 

 observation will be necessary. 



Summary. — It appears that the red-breasted sapsucker attacks and 

 injures trees, but whether it is as destructive as its eastern relative is 

 not yet known, and more material and further observations are 

 necessary to settle the question. 



WILLIAMSON SAPSUCKER. 



( Sphyrapicus thyroideus . ) 



The Williamson sapsucker is a bird of mountains and evergreen 

 forests. Its range extends from the eastern slope of the Kocky 

 Mountains westward to the Pacific, and from Arizona and New 

 Mexico northward to British Columbia; south in winter to Mexico. 

 The bird is likely to be of little economic interest except in connection 

 with forests. Only 17 stomachs of this species have been received by 

 the Biological Survey, and all but 2 of these were collected in the 

 months from June to September, inclusive. Conclusions based on the 

 examination of so little material must be considered as only tentative. 

 In the first analysis of the food it divides into 87 per cent of animal 

 matter and 13 of vegetable. 



Animal food . — Of the animal food a mere trace was shown of click- 

 beetles (Elateridse) and less than 1 per cent of crane flies (Tipulidag). 

 The remainder, 86 per cent, consists entirely of ants, with which 7 

 stomachs were entirely filled. This record places this bird at the 



