V. FAMILY PICID E, (THE WOODPECKER).
Genus Picus. Hairy woodpecker. Resident, common; ineectivorous; feeds on the larvte of insecta and on the ineect. themselves; although in autumn it eeeks berries, etc. Downy woodpecker. Reeident, common: ineectivo roue ; habita and food eimilar . Red-cockaded woodpecker. Accidental; very rare; insectivoruue; habits sirnilar. These are highly naeful hirda destroying worms and ineecta which lodge under dead bark and in rotten wood. Some of these birda have a eingul,r habit, the purpose of which ia uot well understood, uf punctering the smooth, thin bark of orchard trees in reenlar circlea, so near to each other that eight or ten of them may be covered by a dollar. Thia has obtained for them the common name of aap-auckers. They even puncture resinoua trees in the eame manner.
Genus Sphyropieus. Yellow-bellied woodpecker. Resi dent, rarely seen during summer ; insectivolous; secluded in the forest. Its food consiEts of wood-worms and beetles, to which it adds small grapes and berries.
Genus Bylotomus. Pileated woodpecker. Resident, but now almost extinct; insectivorous. This shy bird feeds, like its congeners, on the beetles, end their larvEe, which always abound among dead and decaying timber.
If the.e fail, he resorts to acorns, nuts, and berries.
Genus Centuros. Red-bellied woodpecker. Resident, frequent; rare in summer; insectivorous; feeds on various kinds of insects and larne, and on berries, etc., in the manner of its yellow-bellied cousin.
Genus Melanerpes. Red-headed woodpecker. Resident, very common; insectivorous. This elegant and familiar species is extremely expert in finding and catching the insects which conceal themselves beneath the bark of trees. He also eats juicy fruits and berries, as well as tbe ripening corn. The farmer often thinks that he takes more in cherries and garden fruits than his services are worth.
Genus Colaptes. Golden-winged woodpecker. Resi dent, common; rare in winter; insectivorous; feeds on insects, wood-lice, ants, etc., with cherries, various berries, and even corn. The farmer, forgetting his past services, and only remembering his present faults, closes his career with the gun, and unthinkingly does to himself and the public an essential injury. (Nutt.)