July, 1921 STORAGE OF ACORNS BY THE CALIFORNIA WOODPECKER 17 
for study or for other purposes, but I find no convincing reason for the belief 
that the California Woodpecker is sufficiently versed in entomological lore 
as to store away acorns for the sake of the weevils that later are developed in 
them. If proof to the contrary is desired it is to be found in the results of 
Beal’s investigaticns of the food habits of the species in Biological Survey 
Bulletin No. 34. He there states that 77.57 percent of this woodpecker’s food 
consists of vegetable matter, compared te a little less than 23 percent of ani- 
mal matter, which of itself compels us to class the species as chiefly vegetarian. 
Moreover he found in the stomach contents the remains of no boring larvae 
whatever. Notwithstanding the absence of larvae in the stomachs of the 75 
specimens examined by Beal I do not doubt that larvae of any sort would be 
welcomed by the woodpecker, but evidently they are not specially sought for. 
The bird is essentially vegetarian, and, indeed, as Beal points out, more than 
half of its food consists of the meat of acorns. 
In passing, we may note that only 21 percent of its food throughout the 
year consists of ants, which, while a respectable allowance, is small when we 
recall the fact that Swainson, in selecting a specific name for the bird, called 
it ‘‘formicivorus’’ or ant-eating, thus laying undue stress upon its ant-eating 
habits. 
The discovery of the edibility of the acorn, however, was not made alone 
by the woodpecker. Even today the acorn crop is an important one to the 
Indians, and in bygone days it furnished the California aborigine his most im- 
portant staple. There is, too, quite a list of birds and mammals that are more 
or less dependent for food upon the acorn, and, one and all, these are looked 
upon by the woodpecker as enemies and treated as such. His store houses are 
well known to jays, mice, rats, and squirrels, and are regularly raided by 
these less industrious and unscrupulous foes whose rule of conduct is well ex- 
pressed in the lines, ‘‘He should take who has the power; He should keep who 
ean.’” When at home the woodpecker has little trouble in defending his own, 
but we may safely assume that no small part of his hoard always goes to his 
unserupulous neighbors. 
An incident witnessed by me illustrative of the warfare waged by the 
woodpecker against the squirrel may be worth relating. While out one day 
in Mendocino County with my camera I heard loud outcries from 8 or i0 
‘“Carpinteros’’ coming from a dead oak. Inspection revealed a ground squir- 
rel flattened out on a limb some forty feet or more from the ground, this being 
the first and only time I ever saw a ground squirrel as far from mother earth, 
although in this county, which is heavily wooded, the ground squirrels are 
more addicted to climbing trees than I have observed elsewhere. Apparently 
the squirrel had been detected in the act of robbing the woodpecker’s larder, 
but I arrived on the scene much too late to witness the beginning of the fracas. 
The birds were thoroughly enraged and were taking turns in making spirited 
dashes at the squirrel, at the same time filling the air with their vociferous 
threats. It was quite evident that the squirrel might have escaped from his 
foes easily enough by running down the tree or by jumping to the ground, 
apparently no great feat even for a ground squirrel; but he seemed to be com- 
pletely paralyzed by fright and afraid to move in any direction or do any- 
thing by way of self protection. After watching the strife for some time and 
noting that it was likely to be a prolonged one the squirrel was brought down 
