NATURAL HISTORY. 



143 



groves at this time principally for lack 

 of water. I have also noticed that prairie 

 chickens are generally more abundant 

 around lakes, especially in dry summers; 

 still some broods may always be found 

 miles from any source of water accessible 

 to them. It "has been suggested to me 

 that they strip the dew off the grass, but I 

 have not seen it myself and have not met 

 any person who has seen it under condi- 

 tions that would exclude reasonable doubt. 



1 have, however, made a few interesting 

 observations on the question of water 

 supply for birds. One day, early in 

 March, when the ground was covered with 

 snow and there was no open water within 



2 miles, a flock of evening grosbeaks 

 eagerly ate the wet, thawing snow in 

 a sunny corner on the roof of my 

 house. The temperature at the time was 

 several degrees below freezing, and the 

 snow was not thawing. I have also noticed 

 that English sparrows frequent open springs 

 on cold winter days. 



But the most peculiar bird fountain I ob- 

 served from April 8 to April 14 last. The 

 sap was flowing from 2 box dder trees 

 near my kitchen window. One day I no- 

 ticed that several English snarrows busied 

 themselves about the sugar springs. Step- 

 ping to the window, I saw how they drank 

 up the drops that hung from the branches. 



During that week a flock of purple 

 finches, en route for the North, gave a 

 series of all day concerts on the oaks and 

 among the burdocks across the street. 

 Twice during the week one of these beauti- 

 ful raspberry-colored singers wet his throat 

 with the sap of the box elder, drinking in 

 the drops that hung under a horizontal 

 branch. When he had quenched his thirst 

 he sang several minutes. Then he flew to 

 a small tree and continued his song. That 

 was the only occasion on which I heard 

 one purple finch. A large flock of them 

 visits a burdock patch across the street 

 every year, and they always keep up a med- 

 ley of music all day long. 



My opinion is that both the sparrows 

 and the purple finch drank the sap for the 

 water it contained and not for the sugar ; 

 although the nearest pool was only about 

 300 yards distant. I should like to learn 

 what others have observed on this question 

 of water supply for birds, which seems 

 a somewhat neglected factor in the study 

 of bird life. 



D. Lange. 



DISTRIBUTION OF THE YELLOW BEL- 

 LIED WOODPECKER. 



EDWIN I. HAINS. 



The yellow-bellied woodpecker, SpJiy- 

 rapicus varius, or sapsucker, as it is gen- 

 erally called, is claimed by' most natural- 



ists to be a strictly migratory species in 

 the Eastern States, summering from Mas- 

 sachusetts Northward, and wintering from 

 Virginia to Central America, occurring 

 near New York only in early spring and 

 fall, when it is quite common. These state- 

 ments are, however, not correct for New 

 York, Pennsylvania, or New Jersey. Close 

 study and observation of this species have 

 shown that it occurs quite frequently in 

 winter in New Jersey and in Westches- 

 ter county, New York. While I was visit- 

 ing in Orange, N. J., in the winter of 1898, 

 \ observed a male specimen of Sphyrapicus 

 varius in one of the trees about my friends' 

 house. I was too familiar with it to mis- 

 take it for any other of the woodpecker 

 family, and I watched it carefully. This 

 observation was taken December 31st, 1898, 

 during bitterly cold weather. Another 

 specimen was observed in the same locality 

 on January 6th, 1899. 



The first time I ever saw a sapsucker 

 in the winter near my native town of New 

 Rochelle, Westchester county, N. Y., was 

 January 2oh, 1898, during a hard snow 

 storm. He was flying actively from one 

 tree to another, uttering his low, cat-like 

 whine all the while. Last winter sapsuck- 

 ers were quite plentiful in New Rochelle. 

 New Year's dav I saw a pair in one of the 

 small trees of the village, my attention 

 being first called to them by their peculiar 

 cries. 



In summer the sapsucker is common 

 throughout the Catskill mountains in Ul- 

 ster and Delaware counties, N. Y. In the 

 low, open country about Stamford, Dela- 

 ware county, it is also abundant, occurring 

 chiefly in the low balsam and hemlock for- 

 ests about Churchill and Stanley's lakes. 

 July 18th, 1897, I shot a pair of young 

 sapsuckers not more than 3 weeks from 

 the nest. 



In Ulster county I have found the sap- 

 suckers common about the head of the 

 Big Indian valley, often descending close 

 to the ground on small trees and even 

 bushes. I once saw one on a prostrated 

 log. My friend, Mr. Richard F. Pearsall, 

 of Brooklyn, N. Y., while staying at Big 

 Indian, discovered a nest of this species 

 about 12 feet from the ground in an im- 

 mense dead pine stub. The nest contained 

 6 fresh eggs June 1st. 



For an account of another instance of 

 this bird's breeding in the Catskills, see 

 " Wake Robin," pp. 107-8, by John Bur- 

 roughs. Dr. C. C. Abbott also mentions 

 it as summering in Pennsylvania. 



In view of the evidence presented above, 

 should we not hereafter class the yellow- 

 bellied woodpecker as a permanent resi- 

 dent in New York State, instead of a reg- 

 ular transient visitant? Should like to 

 hear from other readers of Recreation 

 in regard to this species. 



