Sept. 21, 1914 
Birds and Chestnut Blight 
409 
food from the ground; both juncos tested were, however, shot out of 
infected trees. The golden-crowned kinglet is found mostly among foli¬ 
age. The six other species, the black-and-white creeper, the brown 
creeper, downy woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, sapsucker, and white¬ 
breasted nuthatch, are birds which are in the habit of creeping or climb¬ 
ing over the bark of the trunk and larger branches. As these were con¬ 
sidered the most likely carriers of the spores of the chestnut-blight fungus, 
nearly all of the birds tested, 32 out of 36, belonged to these species. 
Particular attention was paid to the movements of the birds at the time 
of shooting, noting especially whether they were working on cankers or, 
at least, in blighted trees. 
It is not uncommon, as stated before, to find evidence that woodpeck¬ 
ers have been at work in older lesions. An example of this is shown in 
Plate XXXVIII. 
Bird No. 1.—Hairy woodpecker ( Dryobaies villosus). (o.) 1 
Shot at Tyrone, Pa,, on December 11,19x2. Received and cultures made on Decem¬ 
ber 12, 1912. 
Bird No. 2.—Downy woodpecker (Dryobaies pubescens medianus). (o.) 
Shot at Martic Forge, Pa., at 1.10 p. m., on February 21, 1913, while at work on a 
canker about 12 feet from the ground. Bird was not killed at once, but fluttered along 
ground for 8 or 10 feet. Canker on which bird was working showed light-orange stro¬ 
mata, with abundant papillae that were fairly prominent. Cultures made on Febru¬ 
ary 22, 1913. 
Bird No. 3.—Junco (Junco hyemalis). (o.) 
Shot at Martic Forge, Pa., at 10.30 a. m., on February 28, 1913, from blight-infected 
chestnut tree. Rain of previous night was 0.36 inch, and the air was still very humid 
at the time the bird was taken. Plates made on March 1, 1913. 
Bird No. 4.—Junco. (10,000.) 
Same as Bird No. 3. 
Bird No. 5.—Downy woodpecker. (30,000.) 
Shot at Martic Forge, Pa., on March 10, 1913, out of a small tulip tree. Had been 
picking about some large, badly diseased, and dead chestnut trees. Cultures made on 
March 11, 1913. 
Bird No. 6.—Downy woodpecker. (73,333.) 
Shot near diseased coppice growth at West Chester, Pa., at 10.30 a. m., on March 
19, 1913. Had been working on a small canker. Cultures made on March 19,1913. 
Bird No. 7.—Downy woodpecker. (109,022.) 
Shot in diseased coppice growth, West Chester, Pa., at 12,30 p. m., on March 19, 
1913. Had been working on a canker. Cultures made on March 19, 1913. 
Bird No. 8.—Downy woodpecker. (92,000.) 
Shot in diseased coppice growth at West Chester, Pa., at 12.40 p. m., on March 19, 
1913. Was on a canker when shot. Received and cultures made on March 19, 1913. 
Bird No. 9.—Flicker ( Colaptes auratus luteus). (o.) 
Shot at Martic Forge, Pa., on March 24, 1913. Came from the badly infected wood 
lot to the west of the orchard and was killed in the orchard. Received and cultures 
made on March 25, 1913. 
1 The numbers in parentheses, following the names of the birds, represent the number of spores of the 
chestnut-blight fungus carried, as determined by cultures. See Table I. 
