Sphyrapious varius .

Concord,
1895,
Oct .6.

!

Cambridge
1899.
October .

Mass .

Among some second-growth oaks near Bateman’s Pond this
afternoon I came upon a young Sap sue her , a very tame bird who
allowed me to get within a few yards of him although he to oh
pains to heep a tree trunk between us most of the time peep-
ing out from behind it with a sly, saucy expression lihe a
Squirrel as it struck me. The species is the slowest and most
clumsy climber of our Woodpeckers. He is also much given to
fits of pensiveness or abstraction when he seems to be quite
oblivious to what is going on around him. I have seen only
few Sapsuckers in eastern Massachusetts within the past ten
years - not more than one or two in any one season and often
none during the entire season. Probably this is because I
have spent so much of my time in Concord where they appear to
occur much less often than in the region about Cambridge.

, The Garden, Mass.

One seen oy me on the 4th, 5th, 10th & 11th (W.B. ) and
one by W. Deane on the 13th, probably the same bird on each
occasion. I cannot recall noting this species in our garden
before for over thirty years. The bird which visited us this
autumn spent most of his time in the large apple trees and did
not, so far as I could discover, sink any of his sap wells in
my birches or mountain ashes.

%

„ 'M* 4 ^™>f**C£a**** ti-

Sphyrapicus varius varius. Sapsucker

.> x r, ^

One seen by Dr. Shattuck.

A, //JT

Birds of upper St, .John,
Bateiield&r,

75 - Sphyropicus varius {Linn.) Bd. Yellow-bellied Wood-
pecker. — Common the commonest Woodpecker — at ■ Fort Fairfield.
They were generally found about recent clearings, or in the more open
mixed woods. At Grand Falls they were common in hard woods.

Bull. N. O.O, 7, July* X882. p.150

CcUcL^M^^. C 7 y C face***. usuCjL—
/ 5 w dt

TidC, ^ H a €t^ ic ^ r

169. Sphyrapicus varius. Shot June 13, 1884.

€ . // OJIJ /yi-C'lA.J

Auk, I, July, 1884. t zA !y

E a D!wTntS;FaU 1886

S feflib- Z2-. Yellow-
bellied Woodpecker.

O.&O. XI, Mar. 1886. p. Ay

| r am886lMonti 8 eal,Can.

Summer Birds of Bras D’Or Region
Oape Breton Xd,, N.S. J. Dwight, Jr.

20. Sphyrapicus varius.

Attic, 4, Jap. , 188 7. p.16

Breeding Dates of Birds in Kings
County, N. S. Watson L. Bishop.

r ,rT bell ‘ ed VVood P eckei ' ( Sphyrapicus va-
ults). June 2.

O.&O. XIII. Mar. 1888 p.45

Summer Bis. Restigouche Valley, N. B,
July, *88. J. Brittain and P. Cox. Jr.

Sphyrapicus varius. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. — Rare.

Ault, VI. April, 1889. p.ii7

.Summer Birds of Sudbury, Out.
A.jS.ALberger.

402 . Yellow-bellied Woodpecker. Tolerably
j c ommo n.

0 ,feQ, %.y, Jsne s i 880 , p,e?

Dwight, Summer Birds of
Prince Edward Island.

phyrapicus varius. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. This species was
o unexpectedly rare and seldom met with.

A uk X, Jan, 1893. V.9.Z

<dj> Ci^WA'

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20. Sphyrapicus varius. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. fairly
abundant at all times. Breeds.

Cc±**&ct 4L.

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f oaA' ( f, (Z*aAj> ,

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157. Sphyrapicus varius. Yellow-bellied Woodpecker. — Abun-
dant migrant, April 8 to May 13, and September 11 to 28; latest records
October 7 to 14, 1906. A rather rare summer resident, breeds.

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S ammer Birds Tim Pond Me . by P . H . C .

Yellow-bellied Woodpecker, ( Sphyrapicm tar-
ing). Only one seen, that being a specimen shot
■ j and given me.

O.& O. XI. Feb. 1886 . p ;

The Sapsucker Wintering in Central Maine.— Inasmuch as the
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is a bird of evil repute the facts about to be
recorded may not be particularly welcome but as the couplet

“ In men whom men condemn as ill

I find so much of goodness still,”

may be true also of ‘ our little brothers of the air ’ I wish to speak a good
word for this much maligned bird.

The Sapsucker is a bird which is not common in our locality. Previous
to the winter of 1911-1912 I had seen it only rarely, during migrations,
the dates being April 17—19 and October 3-5. Therefore I was much
surprised on December 11, 1911, to observe one of these birds in our apple
tree in company with a Downy. At first I thought it simply a tardy
migrant, but when its visit was repeated on the 13th, 14th and 15th of the
month, with snow falling on the last day, my curiosity was aroused to see
whether it would winter with us. The nearest approach I could find to a
statement of its wintering in our latitude was in an article which appeared
in the ‘ Lewiston (Maine) Journal,’ under date of April 21, 1893, in which
the writer says that the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, “ is said to be migratory,
but if he is, he frequently stays with us very late and returns very early,”
but this statement seems too indefinite to prove the point in question.

My observations were made from the windows of my home and the trees
which the bird visited so regularly were sufficiently near to allow most
excellent views of him in all positions. He appeared on the 18th, 19th,
and 30th of December and on New Year’s Day he spent nearly the entire
forenoon in the apple trees near the house, lunching from the frozen fruit
which had been left on the trees and hunting over the trunks and branches.

On January 2, he evidently came as soon as it was light and remained until
nearly dark, putting in a nine-hour day of hard work without intermission,
going at intervals to peck at the apples, but spending the greater part of
the time upon the trunks of the trees. The vigorous way in which he
threw off great flakes of bark was amusing, and quite a quantity of bark
accumulated on the snow under the trees. Who shall say that this work
on the trees was not beneficial? One pretty habit which may be worth
noting is that while pecking at the apples he would often cling with his
feet to the apple he was eating and hang, head downward, as chickadees
so often do.

On January 3, he was here the greater part of the forenoon, but about
noon there was a great commotion and we rushed to the window only to
see an impending tragedy. A Northern Shrike was chasing our Sapsucker.
Nearly two weeks elapsed during which time I grieved over the untimely
fate of the little feathered friend I was watching with so much interest, —
two weeks of extreme cold and of severe storms. On the afternoon of
January 16, however, he returned to his old haunts, eating apples and
hunting on the tree trunks alternately. He did not seem quite as strong
and active as before, owing, perhaps, to the severe weather of the previous
fortnight, the mercury having ranged from 28° to 32° below zero.

It was interesting to me to notice on this occasion the perfection of his
protective coloring. The trunks of the trees were quite snowy with the
rather damp snow clinging to the bark and as the bird remained almost
motionless for some time on the trunk of an apple tree his spotted back
and the longitudinal stripes on his wings simulated the bark of the tree
with the snow upon it so as to almost defy detection. I could locate him
only with difficulty even though I knew just where to look. The next day
he came again and seemed as sprightly as ever and we also saw him
Japuary 19-22, 24 and 31, February 2, 6 and 9, and March 1, 3, 5, 10, 12
and 20. He was also present April 2 and 5, after which date I surmise
that he went farther north.

Since that year I have seen the Sapsucker only occasionally during the
migrations, the dates being approximately as previously given, in April
and October. — Harriet A. Nye, Fairfield Center, Me.

Bds. Obs. in Franconia, N.H. Juneli-21
’86, and June 4- Aug. 1,’87, W. Faxon

9. Sphyrapicus varius. Yellow-bellied Woodpecker. — Very
common. Commonest of the Woodpeckers.

Auk, V. April, 1888. P.151

Bds. Obs. atFranconia and Bethlehem
-N.H, July- August, 1874. W, Feere-a,

, a ■ aMt~s-

5. Sphyrapicus varius. Common.

Auk, V. April, 1888. p.154

Breezy Point, Warren, N.H.

1894.

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I t *** _ W 26.*.-

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Bird* Obs. at Bridge-water, N. H.

July 12 - S»>t. 4, 1883. F.H. Allen

Sphyrapicus varius. — Seen several times.

Auk, VI. Jau. , lS89.p. 76

1895,

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Yellow-bellied Woodpecker, ( Sphyrapi-
c us v grins'] . Common. Summer resident.
Breeds. Arrives in April. Some often re-
main until late autumn. I have had abun-
dant opportunities to study the breeding
habits of this species and with rare excep-
tions, have found them to select a live tree
in which to make their nest.

One hole, from which I took a clutch of

sound looking beech tree, and went four •'

went down eight or nine inches. „

In a large butternut tree near my home .

are four holes, in a nearly perpendicular

row, about ten inches apart, made by this
| speeies (probably the same pair) m four | ^ q

young have been reared. The Yellow-
billed, Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers are

most unjustly persecuted. The • three ^
species are called Red-headed Woodpeckers
or Sapsuckers, and are shot whenever there
is an opportunity.

)

( Sfhyraficus varius is a rather rare summer visitant;

W. .

IX N , O. O, V 1 JaCi 3,882] P# 03

Summer Bds,Mt. Mansfield, V t.

11. Sphyrapicus varius. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. — Two were
seen in the valley (one in Stowe village), and a few in the maples on the
lower slopes of the mountain.

by Arthur H. Howell.

Auk, XVIII, Oct., 1901, p.J9o.

7

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Mass, {near Cambridge).

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gy

The Yellow Bellied Sapsucker in
Bristol County.

BY JOHN C. CAHOON, TAUNTON, MASS.

In the December number of the O & O., 1887,
Mr. A. C. Bent writes that he has noticed the
omission from Mr. F. W. Andros’ list of birds
of this (Bristol) county, of several species
which occur tolerably regularly, and others
which are considered very rare or accidental.
He says: “The most noted of these specie is
the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker ( Siphyrapcus Va-
nns'). This bird, by no means common, could
hardly be overlooked by collectors of any ex-
perience.”

I consider myself a collector of some little
experience, and have spent many days in the
woods of this county in the autumn, and I
have not taken or seen any of these wood-
peckers. I think that I could distinguish this
bird from any of the other woodpeckers, as I
saw and collected quite a number in Florida in
the winter of 1883-84. I have had many of the
New England Woodpeckers brought to me to
be stuffed and mounted, but none of the Yel-
low-bellied have been among the number.

If included in the list of the birds of this
county, in my opinion it should be recorded as
very rare. From Mr. Bent’s accounts, he has
{ certainly been more fortunate than either Mr.

| Andros or myself, and I should like to ask Mr.

Bent if his three records of this bird for this
fall, were of specimens taken by himself, or
seen being without shot.

O.&O^ yill. Aor . 1888 p .60

Omissions From the List of the
Birds of Bristol County, Mass.

BY A. C. BENT, TAUNTON, MASS.

In Mr. F. W. Andros’ list of birds of this
county in the O. and O. for September, 1887, I
noticed the omissions of several species which
occur tolerably regularly, and others which are
considered very rare or accidental.

The most noted of these species is the Yellow -
bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapcus varius ) . This
bird, although by no means common, could
hardly be overlooked by collectors of any expe-
rience.

As a summer resident it is very rare, although
I have had eggs brought to me said to be of
this species. It occurs in Bristol County as a
fall migrant in rather sparing numbers. I have
never seen it in the spring. It frequents the
same localities as the Hairy Woodpecker, being
more often seen in the woods than in open
places. The birds are shy and rather difficult
to shoot on account of their knack of keeping
I out of sight ; they dodge around the trunks of
trees so skillfully that it requires considerable
patient waiting to shoot them. I have three
records of this bird for this fall.

0,&O.XI.Aualfi88.p. i$»

The Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker in
Bristol County.

BY A. C. BENT.

Mr. J. C. Cahoon in the April number of the
O. &.O., refers to my records of the. Yellow-bel-
lied Sapsucker ( Sphyrapicus varius ), with some
doubt as to their genuineness.

I I should like to say in reply that my records are
j positive in every case. The first bird observed
by me in Bristol County was shot last fall and
is now in my cabinet ; there is no doubt that
this specimen is Sphyrapicus varius, although
not in full adult plumage.

While shooting at Norton a few days after-
wards, a Woodpecker flew past me and alighted
on a willow tree a few feet ahead of me. I was
so close to him that I easily identified him as a
fine specimen of this species. While retreating
to get a fair shot at him, he darted around the
trunk of the tree and disappeared.

The third record is equally good ; a bird of
this species was shot by a boy living on the out-
skirts of the city, and brought it to Mr. R. G.

White to be stuffed. He will also vouch for
the identity of this bird.

I also have two other records for the past
j year which I cannot guarantee as good from
| personal experience, still the birds were seen by
persons who ought to know them by sight.

Perhaps I made it appear to Mr. Cahoon that
the species was common. I do not consider it
so, and think it was rather unusual to meet so
many of them in one season. Still, there is no
reason why this bird should not occur in Bris-
tol County regularly, as it is common in the
New England Fauna.

I think it rather strange that Mr. Cahoon has
never met with ft here, and he may be fortu-
nate enough to take some during our next mi-
gration. But they are shy birds and easily
overlooked, and very hard to get a shot at
when seen.

[During four years experience in the taxider-
mist business in Boston, I do not think that I
have received over half a dozen specimens,
nor do I remember a single instance of one in
full plumage. — F. B. W.]

j> jc, Fitchburg . — -The birds you write
about we think you will not find to be of rare oc-
currence, Perhaps your Bohemian will prove to
be the Cedar. Taking the Yjdl&jv-bejlied
W oodpecker in April was the best catch.

O.&o.xlH.Jniy.is 88 p- 115 '

Bd«. Obs. near <3fc*ylock Mi

yj t r.’

shire

. xcu

7. Sphyrapicus varius. Yellow-bellied Woodpecker. Several
specimens seen at different times on the Graylock carriage road, between
two and three miles from the summit. Ap prox imate altitude, 2800 feet.f

Auk, 11. April, 1889. P .99

f Although Ceophlceus pileatus was not seen by me, the peculiar mortise-like holes
which Mr. Brewster assures me are solely the work of this bird, were often noted.
Mr. Brewster met with the birds themselves in the Hopper in 1883.

Occurence of the Yellow-bellied
Woodpecker in New Haven, Ct.

BY W. G. VAN NAME.

The first time 1 noticed this bird was in
August, 1885, in the White Mountains. It was
quite abundant, bnt all the specimens shot
were young birds. Returning to New Haven
in September I found them tolerably common
and they remained late in the fall. In April,
1880, I received a full plumaged male, (April
10th, 1 think, but I am absent from my collec-
tion and can give no exact dates). On the next
day my friend, Mr. A. II. Verrill, shot another.
I have the specimen still, as well as several
others, if any doubt its identity. In Septem-
ber and October 1887, [ found them common.

This bird is particularly partial to coniferous
[ trees. I never thought them shy, on the con-
trary I have considered them quite tame. They
are often found within the city limits. I have
noticed that they are very active in dodging
around the tree when approached closely.
Their commonest note is a sort of squeal.

O .& Q. XI I I. Sept. 1 888 p.l3S

Some Birds of Lewis Co, N, Y,
O. Hart Merriam

A^n. ( cj J ch_^o <*->*_*

Sphyrapicus varius,

Bull. N. 0.0, 3, April, 1878. p. 53

Birds of the Adirondack Region.

C.B.Merriaia.

106. Sphyrapicus varius ( Linn .) Baird . Yellow-bellied Wood-
pecker. — Common summer resident, breeding in all sorts of places.

Bull. N. 0.0, diOct, 1881, m232

Flew Against the Window. — Yesterday, April 3, two
yellow-bellied woodpeckers {Sphyrapicus varius), still warm,
were brought into this office. A few moments before, the
birds, one pursuing the other, had flown against the plate-
glass windows of the Times office and been killed. It was
rather an odd place for this to happen, in the heart of the
city. They must have been resting in the City Hall Park,
and, chasing each other either in sport or rage, have so met
their death. I $rt~9 A •

Notes on Some Winter Residents of
Hudson Valley. E, A. Meatus.

14. Sphyrapicus varius. Yellow-bellied Woodpecker. — Fre-

quently observed in the Highlands during the severest winter weather.
Mr. ihcknell gives the following record from Riverdale : “ November 24,
1872 ; December 3, 1874 ; and January 22, 1876. On the latter date onj
was shot while feeding on some decayed apples that still hung on the
branches of a tree, close to the house.” Another was taken the same
month also feeding on decayed apples. Mr. A. J. Huyler states that
the Yellow-bellied Woodpeckers stayed at Tonally, N. J., until the last
ct December, 1877 ; and that they were more abundant than they had
been for a number of years.” .

Bull. N. 0.0. 4, Jan., 1879, p.36

trw vf x. J o iTma, Jj 1 ~ I tv

w if j (Jc^ Otri. “ liiUri 0 1 ]

d) o Lu •

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Not common.

B. A. Sterling, Brooklyn, Pa.

Auk, XIX, July, 1902, p.298. J

f? <r£*o o^. d-K. Irdjfri oj/ r t kjuri

a } xLg Cj 2«XA f^c<LxC .

s. Sphyrapicus varius. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.— M r. Embody

reckons this a “very common transient visitant.” It is only tolerably
common as a migrant, but a few remain to breed.

dy Aujs:, XX, July, 1903, p

‘lh>mpro artd Melanism in North
A merican Birds* Ruthven D*ane,

I have an extremely light colored
specimen of S. varius, which I collected at the Umbagog Lakes,
but am inclined to think that-this was caused by old age.

Bull, N, O.O. 1, April, 1876, p. 22

Tile Singing of Birds. E. P. Bicknell.

Sphyrapicus varius. ellow-bellied Woodpecker.

The Yellow-bellied Woodpecker poses in a very different
chaiactei as a traveller than as a settler in its summer home.
By reference to Dr. Merriam’s entertaining paper on this bird, in
the ‘Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club’ for January, 1879,
we learn of its habits on its arrival in Lewis County. There it is
bold, familiar and preposterously noisy. In the region of which
I write it is in general a reserved and quiet bird, and does not often
indulge in hammering, even in the spring. Perhaps at the time
it passes April it is not ready to begin courtship, and drum-
ming, which, as with other Woodpeckers, in a measure takes the
place of song, is deferred until the birds are ready to seek their
mates.

But though the species in general is undemonstrative with us,
there may be an occasional noisy individual. I can cite a good
instance under date of April 8, 1880: On the morning of that day
a high-plumaged male had chanced upon a wonderfully resonant
hollow limb in an old chestnut tree in open woods. No true Wood-
peckei could miss turning such an occasion to account, and the
hard barkless shell was made to do good service. With great

satisfaction the bird would deliver at short intervals a loud tattoo

a run of about eight determined raps in irregular succession.
After each sally it would throw back its red-patched head with an
air of satisfied achievement and survey the woods, which seemed
doubly silent after the loud reveille.

I have never known this Woodpecker to drum in the autumn.
At that season it seems especially reserved. Many take up their
habitation in orchards or on private grounds where there are old
apple trees, and from their silence and the close manner in which
they hug the limbs seem to haunt them with a constant suspicion,
although they are not shy of approach. In these trees they keep
up a feeble, restless picking, in their microscopic search of the
bark for their hidden food. This is the only sound I have heard
from them in the autumn, except an occasional low scream,
which may rarely be uttered in the winter.

Auk, 2, July, 1885. p. .

Nesting of the Yellow-bellied Sap-
sucker.

This handsome Woodpecker is of common

occurrence throughout temperate North
America, east of the plains, where it is re-
placed by its varieties, the Red-breasted ( Spliy -
rapicus varius ruber) and Red-naped Wood-
peckers ( Sphyrapicus varius nu.chalis). It,
however, prefers its northern range in which
to breed, and in favored localities it is one of
the characteristic summer birds.

This species (Sphyrapicus varius) was very
abundant during the migrations at Minneapo-
lis, Minn., but very few remained to breed,
owing no doubt to the small timber in the
vicinity. Lake Minnetonka, fifteen miles from
Minneapolis, however, is situated in what is
known as the “big woods,” and this has
always been a favorite resort for the Yellow-
bellied Sapsucker. It was my good fortune
to spend the summer of 18S8 at this beau-
tiful lake, and excellent opportunities were
offered to observe their nesting habits.

By May 15th the woods were teeming with
bird life, as it was the height of their migra-
tions. Gay little Warblers were by far the
most numerous, and such rare species as Ten-
nessee (Ilelmiathophu g a peregrina), Cape May
( Perissoglossa tigrina), Bay -breasted (Dendro-
ica castanea) were abundant. Even the Even-
ing Grosbeaks ( Hesperiphona vespertina) had
not left yet, and their noisy notes could be
heard in many directions. The Yellow-bellied
Sapsuckers were constantly in sight, at times
sitting on tire top branches of the tallest trees
ready to snap tip the first insect that showed
itself. They are expert flycatchers and live
in a great measure on them. Others were
seen flying from tree to tree in their peculiar
undulating flight. They are a very odd bird
and will bear any amount of watching. Their
actions at times are most comical. They have
a habit of lighting on the trunk of a tree, and
remaining in the same stupid position for a
quarter of an hour or more at a time as if in
deep meditation. At such times they will suf-
fer themselves to be closely approached, and
then they seem to wake up and appear greatly
startled. Then they immediately dart around
on the opposite side of the tree, and as you
walk around it they will endeavor to keep the
tree between you and themselves, at the same
time creeping to the top branches, where they
will sometimes lie flat on a limb like a squirrel
and in that position they are not readily
observed.

At this point the birds were mated and were
always together. On May 16th I found a pair
busily engaged in excavating a hole in a dead
bass wood stump about thirty feet high. They
had commenced to dig at a point about two

June 1890. j

AND OOLOGrIST.

91

feet from the top of the stump, and at about
the same distance still further down were two
more old holes, probably last year’s nesting
sites. They had evidently finished work on
the first hole, and the next day they immedi-
ately began to dig another hole about a foot
below the first one. This they completed in
two days as the wood was very soft.

I visited the place several times daily, and
sometimes I found the birds in one hole and
sometimes in the other — the male as often as
the female. Things were getting rather
mixed, and to add to my consternation I dis-
covered a new hole being excavated on the
opposite side of the stump. In this case I
always observed it was only the male that was
at work, but I could not tell in what hole the
female was laying. I thought, however,
it was in the lower one, so on May 20tli I
opened it only to find it empty. I now felt
satisfied that the nest was in the upper one,
and two days afterwards (the22d) I tore open
this nest and as I reached down I felt eggs.

What a delightful sensation there is about it!
I brought them out one at a time until I
I old a nice set of five. I reached in again for
luck and under the soft chips I found another
— six. In I went again, one more — seven.
This was all, for I removed the chips until
they would not cover a Hummingbird’s egg.
They were perfectly fresh as I could see the
yellow yolk through the glossy shell.

In considering the matter I found that in
order to lay one egg each day they must have
begun on the 16th, the day they finished dig-
ging, unless they laid more than one a day.
Both the Florida Gallinule and the Sora Rail
lay more than one egg a day to my certain
knowledge, but whether the Woodpecker did
or not I am of course unable to say.

Just as I started up the stump, the male bird,
who was on the eggs, flew to a neighboring
tree and set up a plaintive cry like Ki-i Ki-i
shrill and drawn out. When I came down the
birds flew immediately to the ragged hole
where their nest was, and first one bird
would take a peep in a dazed sort of way, then
the other; finally the male mustered up
courage enough to venture inside, but soon
came out, and after a short consultation both
flew off.

It was a matter of wonder to me how the
birds could enter a hole so small as they did.
The entrance to this nest was by measurement
but an inch and three-eighths in diameter, and
to my eye perfectly circular. It went straight
in for a distance of about two inches and then

0|&0s XV, Jnne, lseo, p_. 90 „ ^

turned abruptly down and gradually assumed a
pear shaped form, wide and spacious at the
bottom with a floor of soft chips.

In the meantime I had located another pair
building in an iron wood stump. I profited by
my first experience and traced the nesting-
tree by the chips scattered about. The stump
was about fifteen feet high, and leaned at an
angle of about forty-five degrees. The nest
was within a foot of the top and on the
underside.

On May 28tli I opened this nest. I first cut
a suitable tree with a good crotch at the end,
and this I placed firmly against a tree and
ascended without difficulty. But to open the
nest was quite another thing for the wood was
dense and solid and thoroughly seasoned. My
dull hatchet would hardly make a mark on it,
and what was worse, every time I struck the
stump it would shake and vibrate so that
there was danger of the eggs being broken.

I finally succeeded in reaching the eggs by
“chewing” off the top of the stub by keep-
ing doggedly at it with the old relic that had
served as a wire cutter and coal chisel among
other things.

The nest contained a set of five slightly
incubated eggs, and whole much to my surprise,
as when I was making the opening a great
many large chips fell in.

My next was found June 3d, at a height of
about fifty feet in the dead top of a large
Maple. This nest was also discovered by the
presence of chips from the nest. It contained
five fresh eggs.

On June 23d, 'as I chanced to pass the stub I
had secured my set of seven from I saw a
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker fly from the same
hole that the previous set had been found in.
Upon an examination I found another set of
four incubated eggs, and what is more I found
a small runt egg in the hole on the opposite
side of the tree. The runt egg was about the
size of a Phoebe’s and contained no yolk.

The birds seem to prefer the society of man
rather than the seclusion of the woods, as
all the nests found were within a hundred yards
of a large hotel, where trains and steamboats
were moving about.

The eggs are very small for the size of the
bird, barely exceeding in size those of the
Hairy Woodpecker, but are quite different in
shape, being more of a true ovate, and con-
trary to previously published accounts, those
eggs collected by myself are very glossy.

I must not forget to mention a peculiar
. trait t|ie birds have of lighting on te legraph
poles and pounding on the wire as it passes '
over the glass insulation. The result is a ldfrd
singing sound that can be heard a long dis-
tance. While the wire is vibrating they will
stretch out their necks or cock their heads to
one side as if enjoying the sound hugely.

Auk, XII, July, 1895, P

January Occurrence of the ‘Sapsucker’ in Brookline, Mass. — On

Feb. 6, 1895, one of the coldest days of the year, with the wind blowing at
about forty miles an hour, I sighted a small Woodpecker on the lee side
of an apple tree on my father’s place in Brookline, Mass. As he seemed
a little too large for a Downy Woodpecker, I investigated and found
him to be an immature male Sapsucker ( Sphyrapicus varius). He was
clinging to the trunk of the ti-ee and seemed, upon my approach, to be
quite sluggish. I even went so far as to attempt to catch him in my
hand, when he suddenly proved that he was not sluggish at all, and flew
up into the top of the tree to peck at a frozen apple. So I went back to
the house and having procured my gun, gathered him in. He proved to
be in fine, fat condition and not crippled in any way. I afterwards found
that some nephews of mine had seen him several times on apple trees in
the vicinity, but not knowing of the rarity of this occurrence in the
month'of January, they said nothing to me about it.

I had, on several occasions, during the early part of the winter, noted
apparently fresh borings on a Larch tree (Barix europcea') on our place,
and had heretofore been unable to account for them. I know of no other
instance of this bird’s wintering in Massachusetts 1 except that Mr.
William Brewster writes me he killed one in January some years ago. —
F. H. Kennard, Brookline , Mass.

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Q an/< ,qv 3 r2 - Yellow-bellied Woodpecker Nesting at Auburn , N. Y. By T. J.

Ui " ' Wilson, M. D- Ibid., VI, p. 50.

g an4 q 3 12 - Yellow-bellied Woodpecker Nesting at Auburn , W. 13 Bj T. J.

- — - — _ Wilson, M. J'). ibid. , VI, p. co.

614. The Yellow-bellied Woodpecker. Picus By B. Horsford.

Ibid., No. 7, p. 124. Kills trees by girdling them.®OP. 8 $ Stream. Yol.XX
469. Habits of the Yellow-bellied Woodpecker. Bv H. C. Burapus.
ibid. , xv, p. 738. Aaaer. Mataffalisfcji

929- Nesting of the Yellow-bellied Woodpecker in Northern New
York. By S. I. Ingersoll. Ibid. r p. 45. gOE. & atrt .rn f yXJ JJ

1S24. Out-of-door Papers. A Question of Taste. By Fannie Pearson
U„<h Ibid., Nov. 14, p. 3,3. On food habits of SpJaz&ilj.™., vuzius M. 33 .

,89. vn**- t

O.aosl Q?, Rathburn [= Ratlpbun], Ibid., VI, pp. 25, 26. — On its breeding in small
numbers near Auburn, N. Y.

268. With the Birds on Boston Common. By Bradford Torrey. At-
lantic Monthly, LI, Feb. 1883, PP- 203-208. — Contains notes on Sphyro-
picus varius and Lanius borealis, and briefer notices of many other
Species.

Jl

7 P

NOTES ON THE HABITS, NESTS, AND EGGS OF
THE GENUS SPHYRAPICUS BAIRD.

BY CAPT. CHA.RLES E. BENDIRE.

i. Sphyrapicus varius. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

The general habits of the eastern representative of this.genus,
Sphyrapicus varius , the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, have been so
well written up by Mr. William Brewster in the ‘Bulletin’ of the
Nuttall Ornithological Club (Vol. I, No. 3, Sept., 1876. pp.
63 to 70) , and later by Dr. C. Hart Merriani in the same ‘Bulle-
tin’ (Vol. IV, No. 1, Jan. 1879, pp. 1 to 6), that there remains
nothing new for me to state.

As some of the readers of ‘The Auk’ may not have access to
the above-mentioned articles, I will simply mention that, accord-
ing to Mr. Brewster, the favorite nesting-sites of S. varius are
large, dead birches, and that the average height of the excavation
from the ground is at least 40 feet, in some instances consider-
ably more, and that a decided preference is manifested by this
species for the vicinity of water. He gives the eggs as number-
ing from five to seven in a set, and varying considerably in shape,
some being oblong, others decidedly elliptical. They average
.85 in length by .60 inches in breadth, are pure white in oolor,
and, he states, there is much less of that fine polish than in eggs
of the other species of Woodpeckers he had examined.

The average measurement of the few eggs of S. varius in the
Collection of the National Museum, six in number only, is .84 X
.65 inches.

Auk, V, July, 1888. p. 2Z6~.

BULLETIN

OF THE

NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB.

Vol. IV. JANUARY, 1879. No. 1.

REMARKS ON SOME OF THE BIRDS OF LEWIS COUNTY,
NORTHERN NEW YORK.

BY 0. HART MERRIAM.

(Continued from p . 128, Vol. Ill)

Sphyrapicus varius. Yellow-bellied Woodpecker. — This ele-
gant species, second only to the Red-headed Woodpecker in point
of beauty, is a common summer resident in Lewis County,. frequent-
ing alike the orchards and hard-wood groves of the central district,
and the dense evergreen forests, Canadian in Fauna, of the Adiron-
dack region in the eastern, and the Tug Hill range in the western,
portion of the county.

The males reach us about the middle of April (April 13, 1878),
and are followed by their partners about a week afterwards. They
depart during the latter part of August, though a few scattering
individuals, chiefly young, may be seen throughout September and
even into October. These individuals I believe to be migrants who
breed farther north and tarry with us but a day or two during their
journey southward. Still it is true that they are most frequently
seen about the “ food-trees ” (to be mentioned farther on), and it
may be that a few inexperienced young of our own summer resi-
dents remain, reluctant to leave these favorite provision stores,
after their parents and brothers are already well on the way to their
winter-quarters.

Their breeding habits have been so fully and graphically por-
trayed (in an early number of this Bulletin *) by the able pen of

* Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, Vol. I, No. 3, pp. 63-70, September, 1876.

VOL. IV. 1

J

is^TT.

©

iSqi.] Bolles <?« Yellow-bellied Woodpecker. ^57

1

*

or Sapsucker is the most numerous. It may fairly be said to be

J

' ! •

abundant in that district. I base this statement upon my daily

count of birds seen between April and the middle of October in

the years 1889 and 1890. I frequently record seeing from seven

4.

to ten of these birds in a day. Their favorite haunts are mixed

«

■

growths of young birch, larch, hemlock, maple and white ash

bordering water or wet lands.

My attention has been drawn to the Yellow-bellied Woodpeck-

I

fe

ers on two accounts : — their quickness to observe and persistence

in scolding my tame Owls when in the woods; and their destruc-
tion of certain forest trees.

r

Last summer I was led to spend a considerable time in close
study of these Woodpeckers and their feeding habits by the pecu-
liar relations which I noticed as seeming to exist between them

•

V

and Hummingbirds. My observations were given point by my
recollection of the difference of opinion among ornithologists re-
garding the diet of these Woodpeckers and their motive for tap-
ping sap-yielding trees. I had heard it said that their sole reason
for drawing the sap was to attract insects which they then fed
upon. I had also heard that they ate the tender cambium layer
which intervenes between the bark and inner wood of trees. I knew

1

•

well that the birds were insect-eaters for I had often seen them fly
into the air with the grace of a Tyrant Flycatcher or Cedarbird
and capture insects on the wiffg.

On July 19, 1S90 while watching a group of birds gathered in
the woods around my tame Owl, Puffy, two Yellow-belliedWood-
peckers and a Hummingbird attracted my attention. The Wood,
peckers were scolding the Owl, when the Hummingbird darted
towards one of them, hummed before it, rushed at the other, and

then seeing the Owl flew at him squeaking furiously. Then it
flew back to the first Sapsucker and perched near it. On the 21st

I returned to the spot and found near by a Sapsucker’s ‘or-

chard’ of ahnnt » —

YELLOW-BELLIED WOODPECKERS AND TIIEIR

UNINVITED GUESTS.

BY FRANK BOLLES.

I

Of the seven species of Woodpeckers which I have found in

f

the region of Mt. Chocorua, New Hampshire, the Yellow-bellied

.

- 1

m

1

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3

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j/l^t ''- L ' i '' , ■ * i -‘f>

0 *

THE AUK:

A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF

ORNITHOLOGY.

vol. ix. April, 1892. No. 2.

YOUNG SAPSUCKERS IN CAPTIVITY.

BY FRANK BOLLES.

As readers of ‘The Auk’ may remember, I spent much time
during the summer of 1890 in watching Yellow-bellied Wood-
peckers at work in their ‘orchards’ near Mt. Chocorua, N. H.
From my observations I drew the following conclusions (‘The
Auk,’ July, 1891, p. 270), that “The Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
is in the habit ... of drilling . . . trees for the purpose of taking
from them the elaborated sap, and in some cases part of the cam-
bium layer ; that the birds consume the sap in large quantities for
its own sake and not for insect matter which such sap may chance
occasionally to contain ; that the sap attracts many insects of
various species, a few of which form a considerable part of the
food of this bird.”

These conclusions differed so radically from opinions held by
many ornithologists that some persons, who either doubted the
sufficiency and unimaginativeness of my observations, or who
read my conclusions without scrutinizing my statements of fact,
were unwilling to admit that 1 had proved the Yellow-bellied
Woodpecker to be a sap-drinker. In order to present additional
and different evidence in the case, I determined to secure several
living Sapsuckers, to cut them off as completely as might be
practicable from insect food, to feed them if possible upon con-
centrated maple sap, and to see whether a diet of that kind would

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I MI. ABBOTT FBAZAE;,

3&(xx\Uxm&t'

AND DEALER IN

Naturalists’ Supplies and Specimens.

MINERALS, BIRDS’ SKINS, STUFFED ANIMAL HEADS, Etc.

No. 93 Sudbury Street.

SEND STAMP FOR CATALOGUE.

Boston, Mass., Jan* 19, 1894 *189

Mr. Wm. Brewster,

Cambridge, Mass.

Dear Sir:

I have looked over my order book for the Ruddy Duck, but
cannot seem to strike it. I think that I gave you at the time a
memorandum of the bird, and if vou can give me the year and the

month I can find it all right .

A customer told me yesterday that he had a Pileated

Woodpecker, killed at Quincy. He has mounted if, how good a job
of course I do not know. I might be able to trade for it, and if
so what would it be worth to you? Gan you tell me whether it
has over been taken in Mass* before?

Ceor/hloeus pileatus .

Breez;/ Point, Warren, N.H.

1394. While sitting here (under the shade of a big maple by

June 17. the brooh, where W . Faxon andlwent this morning), and later in
the day as we were at the house, we heard in the distance be-
yond the orchard a sound which ae, all took to be the voice of
a White-bellied nuthatch until Faxon, following it to its
source, found a Pileated Woodpecker to be its author. The
bird was in the forest nearly a quarter of a mile away. It
was very tame allowing him to walk directly beneath it as it
sat crosswise on a branch, calling at intervals. Long before
he got at all near it the resemblance to the Nuthatch's cry
(the whinney ) was lost for the bird was really "shouting" in
the normal, Flicker -like manner.

!

Geophloeus pileatus .

Breezy point, Warren, N.H.

1094. Very warm with showers. Just after breakfast we (F.W.

June 21. Batchelder, W. Faxon and. I) heard Pileated Woodpeckers calling
a little way above the house and Faxon and I went in search
of them. We found two birds, a male and female, in some large
maple and birch trees in a hollow. They were very tame allow-
ing us to approach to within 30 yards. The male was pecking
rather listlessly at a dead prong, the female sat crosswise
on a branch about seventy yards away. They called to each
other at short, regular intervals using the short Flicker-like
"shout". Neither bird changed its perch for full twenty min-
utes. At length the female flew out into a pasture and a-
lighted on a stump when she was joined by a third bird which
we had not seen before. The male remained in the grove where
we saw him first. We could not' make out whether these Wood-
peckers were old or young. While perched in the trees they

i

kept moving their heads about and pointing their bills upward

in a way that reminded us of Herons. Occasionally one of them

would call cuck , cuck, cuck, etc. very slowly a great number

/>

of times. This call may be called a cackle. It is rather
hen-like in character.

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1890

Mar20-Apr2I Florida,

Suwanee River .

Common throughout the wooded bottoms to within at least three
or four miles of the mouth of the river; less shy than at the
North, but still not as a rule to be approached within less than
a long gunshot. I heard only one vocal note during my entire
stay on the river, namely, the usual long, laughing cry with its
slow and quick variations. Mr. Chapman, however, heard one or
both of a pair which were mating, utter a whicke r call similar to
that of the Got den-winged Woodpecker. On several occas ign^s^
tried the experiment of calling these birds by imitating the^ sound
of their pounding on the tree-trunks, and with marked success, in
one instance the bird flying directly towards me, coming within a
few yards. I observed during this trip a peculiar motion which I
did not remember to have seen before, but which was universal
among all hhe individuals which I saw at all distinctly. It was
as follows: The bird just after alighting, and while clinging to
a trunk with its back towards me, would throw out its head, first
to one side and then to the other a dozen times or more in quick
succession, the movement being almost as sinuous and graceful as
that of a snake.

1(3

Birds of Upper St, John.
BAtohelder.

76. Hylotomus pileatus {Linn.) Bd. Pileated Woodpecker. —
At Grand Falls half a dozen pairs were seen. Probably there is too little
of the heavy forest left in the immediate neighborhood of Fort Fairfield
to suit their tastes, as we did not meet with them. “Common” at Houlton.

Bull. N.O.C. 7, July, *1882, p.l&O

ts h clZ 6n cfme e ^l Merriam

53. Hylotomus pileatus. Pileated Woodpecker. -Very rare.
Mr. Comeau has shot but one here.

Bull, 2LQ.O, 7, Cot, 1882, P.236

A Collecting Trip-Dec . 1887 .

Jobn Swart, Uarfcer, Ont. Can.

Pileated Woodpecker. Tolerably common,
but very wild and difficult to approach. Saw
i some nearly every day, but owing to heavy
crust on the snow, it was impossible to go
through the woods quietly. Only obtained one
specimen.

O.& O. XIII. June. 1888 p.94

SQr&sner Birds of Sudbury, Ont.

Ibergsr.

I '400. Pileafed Woodpecker. . Occasional.

Said to be tolerably common during winter.

Oj SO, XV. 5eae. 1890, Pr87

Dwight, Summer Birds of
Prince Edward Island.

Ceophlceus pileatus. Pileated Woodpecker. — Said to have been
formerly common. Prof. Earle showed me a stuffed specimen, but I found
no other evidence, save hearsay, of its occurrence. No ‘mortise holes’
were discovered.

Auk X, Jan, 1893. P« 0 *

— /?*7,

21. Ceophlceus pileatus. Pileated Woodpecker. — Three of these
birds were met with July 30, near Haileybury.

JT3

iZamXjH cr^j T C a^a.c* a f
PouCk~ 1 •. '4-oa*** ,

x*/v, 74 t

158. Ceophlceus pileatus abieticola. Northern Pileated Wood-
pecker. — Said to have been formerly a resident. I have seen specimens
taken within twenty or thirty miles of Toronto some years ago, and I
recently saw fresh workings of this woodpecker thirty-five miles from the-
city, near Georgetown.

Summer Birds Tim Pond Me. by F. H. O.

Pileated Woodpecker, ( Hylolomus pileatus).

Not common. One secured in ’84. None seen
in ’85.

O.& O. XI. Feb. p,

Fall Birds of Northern Maine.
F. H. Carpenter.

Pileated Woodpecker ( Ceophtceus pileatus )
Again but one individual heard.

0 ,-& %■ XII. Nov. 1887 p. 188

~J7inter Birds of W ebster,N . H. by Falco.

Pileated Woodpecker, (. Hylotorrms pileatus).

O.&O. X. Jan. 188 £ . p /f

Bummer Bird* of Presidential Range,

White Mts. A. P, Chadbourne

12 . Ceophloeus pileatus. Pileated Woodpecker.— This bird was not
met with, but an old dead spruce full of its large and deep ‘peck-holes
was found near our camp (altitude, 3*4° feet). The holes were newly
made and the chips and pieces of broken wood perfectly fresh.

AOk, 4, April 1887. p.104

Birds Obsvd. near Holderness, N.H

June 4-12, ’85, and 4-11, '86, W. Faxon

9. Ceophlceus pileatus. Pileated Woodpecker. — Rare. One seen.

Auk, V. April, 1883. p,14Q

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' The Pileated Woodpecker {Hylotomuspileatus, Bd.), is by no means as rare
as might be expected in so thickly populated a section. Not a year passes
but that from one to five specimens are taken. I have notes of at least
fifteen specimens, taken during the last four or five years, all of which oc-
curred from the month of September to May, inclusive; the last record
being the capture of two young females, September 28, 1881.

Bull, N.O.Q, 7, Jan, 1882, p,63

f' leated Woodpecke r. Mar. 26

First Arrivals.C. O. Tracy. Taftsville, Vt,

O.&O. VIII. Sept. 1883. p, ?/

Pileated Woodpecker, (Hylotomus pilea-
tus). Not common. Resident. Breeds.
This is the largest and most shy of the
Woodpeckers found here. Confined to
the more thickly timbered districts.
They are closely persued by gunners.

^ rrtilfUstA'Mst'

Wh Hh-Q-

O.&O. IX. Nov. 1884. p. ns..

Brief Notes.

Winter Birds of Southwestern Vermont, fob_1885. _

-Pileated Woodpecker, Q,. j£. 0 (rhvt/Mtt*-, ffiucA-CVtClslft'

O.&O. X. Apr. 1885. P-^

Summer Bds.Mt. Mansfield, Vt;

12. Ceophlceus pileatus abieticola. Northern Pileated Wood-
pecker. — Mr. Clayton E. Stone of Lunenburg, Mass., writes me that he
“ saw two of these birds in the fall of ’98, and heard several others, one in
Johnson, and two in Craftsburv.” They doubtless occur in the environs
of Mansfield.

by Arthur H. Howell. Auk, XVIII, Oct., 1901, p JV*,3V/.

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Salem, Mass., Dec. 28.— A. pileated woodpecker was shot
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Sai.bm, Mass., Dec. 28.— A. pileated woodpecker was shot
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Decrease of Birds in Mass. J.A.. All«tt

That the Pileated Woodpecker (Hylotomus pileatus ) was once a
common inhabitant of all the primitive forests of this State seems
to be unquestionable, though absolute proof of the fact may not be
available. It still occurs in abundance throughout the older States,
wherever the forests remain comparatively undisturbed, while it is
well known to quickly retire where its haunts are invaded by the
destroying axe of the woodsman. jq^Q, Sept, 18 6. p, 4*3 .

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V ^v_ <—*0 . * .

Ceophlceus pileatus in Franklin County, Massachusetts. — During the
month of August, 1886, two Pileated Woodpeckers were shot at Ashfield,
Franklin Co., Mass. ; and on October 7 of the same year a third, which
I have, was shot. It is a male, but in not very good plumage, as it was
moulting at the time it was shot.— Richard Norton, Cambridge , Mass.

Auk, V. 1888. p. Ill ■

Notes on Birds of Winchendon, Mass.
William Brewster.

Ceophlceus pileatus.— Resident, but not common. Mr. Bailey sees only
two or three pairs each season but thinks that there are more in Win-
chendon than in any of the neighboring towns. About the middle of
June 1887, one of his friends met with a brood of young in the woods. I
did not find the bird during either visit, but its unmistakable mortise-

shaoed ‘ peck holes ’ were frequently observed.

Auk, V, Oct,, 1888. p.390

Birds Known to Pass Breeding Season
nr. Winchendon, Mass. Wm. Brewster

17 . Ceophlceus pileatus.* ft ad c {|<nwr»t/.

Auk, V, Oct,, 1888, p.389

Rare.— F. H. Kennard, Chestnut Hill, Mass., reports
two Pi leated Wo odpeckers at that locality, May 3.

XV, Jim©, 1890, p.&g

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X

Mt Watat ic Although this species was not seen or

heard on the mountain, its recent presence there was attested by
the numerous and unmistakeable mortoise-shaped holes which it had
pecked in the trunks of dead spruces on the western side of the
mountain. Some of these holes had evidently been made within a
week or two, for the wood was perefctly fresh and white. The farm-
ers near the base of the mountain know the bird well and told us
that it used to be common there, but none of them had seen one
within several years.

Northern Pileated Woodpecker in Massachusetts. — During a trip to
the Berkshire Hills early in June for the purpose of seeing birds of that
region, while walking up Greylock on the morning of June 7, 1905, we
heard the harsh call of the Northern Pileated Woodpecker ( Ceofhhzus
pileatus abieticola). The bird flew over the road and settled on a large
dead tree trunk at quite a distance, where, guided by his hammering, we
found a fine male at work three feet from the ground. We had good
views of him then at close range and as he flew away. I was very glad
that this beautiful woodpecker of the wild forests should still remain a
resident of Massachusetts. — Lidian E. Bridge, West Medford, Mass.

A0k» XXII, Oct., 1900.
vo.

Northern Pileated Woodpecker in Massachusetts.— Mr. Henry P.
Meade has kindly given to me a Northern Pileated Woodpecker ( Phlceoto -
mus pileatus abieticola ) which he shot in Harvard, Mass., October 15, 1910.
It is a young male. This is an extremely rare bird in this locality.
John E. Thayek, Lancaster, Mass.

Aok 23. A.pr-*19Q. p«

GeDeral .Notes,

Notes from Connecticut,
Jno. H. Sage, Portland.

Ceophloeus pileatus — Through the kindness of Mr. Gordon Trumbull'

I am able to record a recent capture of this rare Woodpecker. One was
shot at Granby, Conn., Nov. t, 1890, by Mr. Lewis S. Welch of Hartford.

Mr. Trumbull saw the bird soon after it was mounted. Auk X, Oct , 189 3 -g 371

Ceophlceus pileatus. — Mr. Gurdon Trumbull tells me that a Pileated
Woodpecker was seen at Granby, Conn., during the early part of the
winter of 1S94-95. It was followed a mile or more and fully identified
but was not captured. This bird was in practically the same locality
where one was killed Nov. 1, 1890 (Auk, X, 1893, 371).

The Pileated Woodpecker in Connecticut.— Late last December, Mr.
Charles S. Starr, a recent graduate of Yale, saw in Cornwall, western
Connecticut, what was undoubtedly a Pileated Woodpecker. He describes
it as a large black bird nearly the size of a Crow, with a crimson patch on
the back of its head, and some white markings, also having a very long
bill. It was clinging to the trunk of a dead tree, pecking, and climbing
up spiralfy. It moved by short hops, and was slow and irregular in flight-
I think he has described the species very satisfactorily. Its occurrence ini
this State is now, I think, very uncommon. — Herbert K. Job, Kent , Conn.

Auk, XVIII, April., 1901, p- '

Pileated Woodpecker near Litchfield, Conn.— To-day (June 20 , 1908 ),
while driving near my home in Litchfield, Conn., I had the good fortune to
■see a fine specimen of the Pileated Woodpecker ( Ceophlceus pileatus abieti-
cola). ^It was on the wing and high up when I first saw him, and beginning
to cross, almost at right angles to our course, a deep valley which we were
to drive through lengthwise. He was far off when first seen and my
attention was attracted by his lazy, even flight and his great size. But
his flight soon brought him directly over our road and a little way in front
of us. Then I could see the great white markings on his wings. The bird
flew on across the valley and with a swoop, which ended with an upward
curve, entered the foliage of a large maple, which stood upon the mountain
side, making for its trunk. He had alighted too far up the valley side for
me to follow up the search, and, indeed, there was no need for this because
his markings and manner of flight had made the identification plain.
The region is extremely wild and rugged, in the Berkshires.— John
Hutchins, Litchfield, Conn.

Auk 25 Oct, 1908 ,p, t/ 7 <j -

\vasAc/> J )

Vuru^jto^ [Cl*/.Cs~J] ' V-^O ^r^M. L< l T 0< J -

April 20 to 2j.

Pileated Woodpecker. Rare.

r E. A. Sterling, Brooklyn, Pa.

Auk, XIX, July, 1002, p.298.

Some Birds of Lewis Co, N, Y,
0. Hart Merriam

/X* Clc£is*-

Hylotomus pileatus,

Bull. N, 0.0, 3, April, 1878. p. 53

Stoat® Bsrd« of Lewis Co, N. Y,

O. Hart Merriam

Hylatomus pileatus. Pileated Woodpecker ; Black Log
Cock; Cock of the Woods. — This splendid species, commonly
known among our hunters as the “Black Cock of the Woods,”
and, once common, is now becoming rare in Lewis County, although
it is still a resident of the deep Canadian forests along our eastern
border. A few are killed each year in the Adirondack region, and
Mr. Dayan informs me that scarcely a season passes but that two
or three specimens are taken in the vicinity of Lyon’s Falls, — so
near do they approach civilization.

6 Hylotomus pileatus. Pileated Woodpecker. Mr. J. Akhur. t,
of Brooklyn, informs me that at least three individuals ot this species
have been met with on Long Island. In 1842 or 1843 he saw one at what

fs now East New York, Kings County. Another was sent to him about

thirty years ago from the eastern part of the Island; the third which
obtained two years ago, was captured near Jamaica, Qpeens County.

Bull. N, 0.0. 6, April, 1881 ,

Birds of the Adirondack Region.
C. H, Merriaci.

107 Hylotomus pileatus (Linn.) Baird. Pileated Woodpecker
A tolerably common resident, and much more abundant now than it

was ten years ago.

Bull N, 0.0. a, Oct, 1881, P.232
| .Birds Tioga, 0©, N.Y. . Ald§aJtpUflg|

,371 Plicated Woodpecker. Very rare, bu
two of those birds having come under my oh,
serrations. These wore shot hy farmois. ^ |

Sun©* 18Q0 ‘ p ' 8 °

Dutcher, Rare Long Island Birds.

Ceophlceus pileatus. Pileated Woodpecker.— There are two spe-
cimens of this large Woodpecker in the collection, both of which were
mounted from birds brought to Mr. Akhurst in the flesh. One was pre-
sented by Mr. H. G. Reeve, and the other belonged at one time to the late
Mr. Philip M. Brasher. Further than that they are Long Island birds,
Mr. Akhurst can give no information. lie states that before the outskirts
of Brooklyn were built upon, there was a large tract of forest running
eastward from the Flatbush' road. While there were many places in it
that were denuded of trees and overgrown with under-scrub and second-
growth, yet as a whole the timber was large and of the original growth.

It was a very fine collecting ground, being situated at the extreme western
end of the Island, and a large majority of the birds migrating over Long
Island naturally sought this tract for resting and feeding. For years in
the spring and fall, Mr. Akhurst visited this place almost daily, either
alone or in company with Col. Pike, and many of the rarest specimens
now in the Long Island Historical collection, were obtained on these
excursions. During one of them Mr. Akhurst saw two Pileated Wood-
peckers, but they were so extremely wild that he did not secure either of
them. Being perfectly familiar with the species, he is satisfied that he was
not mistaken in the identification. These four specimens are all that have

ever come to his notice. 1 ___

1 See Bull. Nuttall Ornith. Club, Vol. VI, p. 126. j .

Auk X, July, 1893 p 276 .

n

Ceophlceus pileatus. Pileated Woodpecker.

The Pileated Woodpecker is among the birds most limited in
the variety of their notes, and indeed its only cry seems to be the
wild clatter that has been so often described. On one occasion I
discovered a pair of birds of this species apparently at play
amongst the trees of a dense hummock. Wishing to secure
them, I shot the female as she clung to a broken limb on a large
oak. The male, who had been making a great noise, was silent
a minute upon the report of the gun, but directly began again,
and at the same time flew about rapidly as if trying to discover
his mate. Presently he alighted on the very limb from which
the other had fallen, and then I fired at him in the midst of one
of his outbursts. Although he fell, he did not pause in his clat-
ter for an instant, but came tumbling down until he caught in
some moss at a distance from the ground, where he continued to
vociferate without apparently allowing himself to draw a breath.
Very soon he fell to the earth, but became quiet only when 1
pressed my hand upon his lungs. It would seem that this bird
must have felt pleasure, fear, and pain during the time I observed
him, all of which he expressed by the same sounds.

Orange Oo, FI*. D, Mortimer,:

40

ORNITHOLOGIST

[Yol. 13-No. 3

From old, hollow chestnut stub. Mr. Raws?*
says : “ Ehove female out as usual. Nintlyyear
from this' bird. Only one set of two y! 1885.
A set of two, March 18, 1880; tenth/^ear and
forty eggs in all from this one fjmaale. Not
seen in 1887.” Two eggs, fre^tf: 1.92x1.67;
1.92x1.66. /

Set XXII. April 18, lSSy^ Preston, Conn.
Collected by “J. M. wN/Nest in large chest-
nut stub. This is a secphd set, as first set was
found March 26, 1885/ A third set was found
May 9th. This owj/forinerly^allowed Mr. Raw-
son to handle her/while sitting^ but she after-
wards became jnore timid, and flew out when
disturbed. TJfree eggs, fresh : 1.88^x1.67; 1.91
xl.69; 1.98.x 1.66.

Set XXIII. March 28, 1886. Norwich, Conn.
Collected!' by “J. M. W.” Heavily fathered
old nest in chestnut. In trying to secure the
bright young male, Mr. Rawson shot the fe-
male, which looked as if it was moulting. No
more eggs were found in the oviduct ready for
extrusion. Two eggs, fresh: 1.96x1.61; 1.96
x 1.62. — J. P. N.]

Following the Logcock.

BY R. B. MCLAUGHLIN, STATESVILLE, N. C.

I had hoped to secure some additional sets of
eggs of the Pileated Woodpecker or Logcock
(Hylotomus pileatus ) , during the season of 1877,
but X was disappointed. The nest is most
easily found while it is being excavated, so I
determined on April 9th as an an opportune
time to explore the woods. Leaving at or
about 6.30 a. m., I had gone scarcely a half
mile into the nearest wood when I heard the
noisy notes of II. pileatus, and had no difficulty
in following them up. I had passed through
some rather dense undergrowth and stepped
into a road, when, quite unexpectedly, I flushed
two pairs of the birds but a few rods apart, and
had got within easy gunshot of them.

As they chose different directions, my search
was restricted to a single pair. Now, when I
am following a bird for the purpose of seeing
it go to the nest, I cannot say that I approve of
the bird’s wanting to follow me about; but the
Logcock does not follow the collector, nor does
he care to have the collector following him.
Owing to the previous surprise, however, this
pair was so unusually hard to approach that I
was encouraged and indeed grateful if I got in
sight of them in time to see them fly . Having
to”do so mainly by ear, however, I concluded

that better luck could be had if I went after the
other pair, so I abandoned the pursuit, and. re-
tracing my steps, followed the course in which
the others had flown. ’They had not gone far,
and when the bird called his mate, he perhaps
noted with some spleen that I answered. These,
too, were sufficiently wary. Lured on by my
zeal, however, I followed the birds the greater
part of the forenoon, but with no success.

On April 16th. having occasion to be in the
same piece of woodland, I heard a Logcock
braying — for surely he could not have been
singing — as though that were his only mission
here, but when I appeared on the scene he was
conspicuous for his noise in a neighboring
woods.

Now another had joined him. and the two
made the woods reverberate with some of the
noisest notes of the woodpecker dialect. As I
approached, however, they abrubtly stopped
and all was still. On entering the woods, I
saw a Logcock leave a tree, and, perfectly
mute, disappear. Seating myself on the bank
of a brook and waiting for a time, I saw another
light upon a tree some distance away. Seeing
nothing more I concluded the bird was at home,
and I started after it. On climbing the hill, I
saw some bits of wood scattered on the ground,
which told the tale. I looked for a dead tree
but in vain. I saw a round, smoothly-cut hole
in the body of a Spanish Oak, yet the tree was
turning out full foliage, and had not a dead
branch. Needless to say I rapped on the crunk,
and anxiously watched for the appearance of
the bird's head at the hole above. I was not
disappointed, however I beckoned the lady to
climb out of her domicile, in lieu of which,
she — wondrous tame now — returned the affront
by utterly ignoring the signal, and eyeing me
in a way that seemed to question my honesty
and dispute my right of invasion. I then
tapped on the tree with a club and she came
out. An examination of the wood particles
thrown out showed that they had not been ex-
posed to the weather, which convinced me that
the cavity was yet unfinished. Returning on
the 21st, I found the bird in. Apprehensive of
incubated eggs, I immediately started back for
my climbers, a small saw, and a hand-axe.

On my return the bird was again in. I tied
a string to the saw and axe, threw it around
my neck, allowing them to rest on my back,
buckled on my climbers, and climbed up.

The nest was about sixty feet up, and the
trees fairly well limbed, after the first twenty
feet. I got my arm partially in the hole, but
could not adapt it to the winding direction it

Mar. 1888.J

AND OOLOGIST.

41

took. Finding the use of the saw also impera-
tive, I took the axe and set in. The nest con-
tained two eggs, quite fresh ; so the set was in-
complete. After the birds had bored through
two inches of solid live wood, they found the
interior white and soft. How did they know
the trees were decomposing? I should say by the
sound produced when they rapped on it with
their bills.

In April 1886, while walking through a piece
of woodland, I saw a Logcock light upon a
dead oak, and hopping up nearly to the top,
he gave a sharp rap. His mate came out of a
hole a little above, and flew away ; then he went
in, but whether he intended to work or was only
curious to know what his wife had been doing,
I do not know. It is probable, however, that
he assists her.

Not having the time to while away, it was a
week later and growing dark when I returned,
so I felt sure if the bird had completed the
set she would then be in. She was. I called
the following day and found her at home. The
nest was about forty-five feet high, and the
sight of the tree made me rather nervous. It
was nearly three feet in diameter and had but
one limb, which being “ shaky,” contributed
much by way of picturesque effect, but very
little to my support. However, a laborious
climb brought me, with bleeding wrists, to the
Woodpecker’s door, and confident the full
number had been laid, I cut through the well-
decayed wood. Well, as hard luck would have
it, not a single egg had been deposited. I have
since frightened the Downy Woodpecker out of
her nest after sunset, and cut in to find no eggs ;
so it would seem the habit of remaining over
night in the unfinished cavity is common with
the Picidoe.

Farmers have told me of nests of this bird
within ten feet from the ground, but I have
never found them near so low. The remaining
nests found by me are represented below :

No. 1. About seventy-five feet high in an oak.
Saw parent feeding young.

No. 2. In oak forty-five or fifty feet up. Took
set of five eggs.

No. 3. In maple thirty-five feet up. A fair
tree to climb but quite a distance from home,
and the nest not finished. Did not return.

No. 4. About forty-five feet up in ash, with-
out bark or limbs; and weather-bleached.
Walked around it a great deal but never climbed
up.

No. 5. About eighty feet high, in a frightful
oak. Did not disturb it.

The shell of the egg is clear in the first state

of incubation, and the blood in the embryo
veins within is clearly visible. It retains its
semi-transparency for some hours after being
blown, and then gradually dons the white pol-
ish of the cabinet specimen. The complement
ranges from four to six. No nest, properly
speaking, is made, but some fine chips are left
at the bottom of the excavation, on which the
eggs are deposited.

The Logcock is a strikingly handsome bird,
and his lord-like demeanor would indicate he is
fully conscious of it. When flying, the white
on his wings is shown in pleasing contrast to
his dtherwise dark plumage. His large head is
attached to his body by an almost thread-like
neck, but it has no comic effect. He has sev-
eral ways of winding his horn, all producing a
respectable racket. His rapidly reiterated put !
put ! put-it ! put-it ! put-it ! may be heard
throughout the year. Mrs. Logcock, too, can
“ make the welkin ring” when disposed.

One who has only seen the stuffed bird in
the museum has but a vague conception of the
force of his stroke. When seen in his native
haunts, throwing bark from a dead tree, or
hammering on a live one, it truly seems a case
of “Woodman spare that tree.” Yet it is for
the good of the forest, not the wanton exercise
of a destructive tool. He will go as the forest
goes, and the scientist may impose what he will
on the taxidermist, but as nature deprives a
bird of its office, she will deprive us of our
bird.

Ever on the alert, the Logcock is hard to
shoot, and unless ambushed or shot at first
sight, it is well to make a list of him with your
game for another day, for if once chased or
frightened, he. must have a good night’s repose
to efface the recollection of it.

This woodpecker seems to be better prepared
for continued flight than the smaller ones,
while the characteristic woodpecker flap and
dip is recognizable. That decided and appar-
ently fatiguing way of jumping through the
air, so conspicuously noticeable in the flight of
Picus pubescens and other diminutive species of
the genus, appears to be wanting in the flight of
this bird. It is generally seen in couples, at all
seasons, and perhaps pairs for life. Once com-
mon in our county, it will soon be listed with
the rare species ; nor does it occasion surprise
that such should be the case when one is ap-
prised of the strange ways in which the bird is
sometimes abused. I believe no one has killed
it in order to obtain its legs for pipe stems, as
it is alleged the mariners did the Dodo, but I
am told by old sportsmen that it was a once not

Birds of Dead River Region, Me. F. H. 0.

74. Hylolomus pileatus, (Pileated Woodpecker).
More conspicuous than abundant, the Logcock is
a resident oi the evergreen forests. Its resonant
“soundings” may be heard at almost any time in
the spring, and its heron-like flap of the wing
added to its rolling flight make it a conspicuous
feature of the woods. It can use its feet in a
powerful manner, and I have watched it on one
occasion strip the bark from a lightning scathed
hemlock with the cleverness of a professional
“peeler” at the lumber camp. Two nests were
found near Tim Pond, but no eggs were secured,
but a set of five in my collection were taken in
this vicinity by hands, now forever at rest. All
nests were in the decayed tops of spruce trees.

} (p 7 -'

O.&O. XX. Nov. 1886. p. 162 -/ <* 3 -

Breeding of the Pileated Woodpecker in Worcester County, Massachu-
setts : p n a recent paper* I noticed the fact that a few Pileated Wood-

* Notes on the Birds of Winchendon, Worcester Co., Mass. ‘The Auk,' Vol. V
No. 4, Oct. 1888, pp. 386-393-

peckers still linger in the northern part of Worcester County, Mass., and
that a brood of young was seen there in the summer of 1887. Any doubt
that may have existed as to whether these birds really breed in this region
is now dispelled, for Mr. C. E. Bailey has sent me a set of four eggs which
he took at Winchendon, May 17, 1S90. The nest was about forty feet
above the ground in a dead hemlock fully three feet through at the base
and over seventy feet in height. Some photographs taken for me under
Mr. Bailey’s direction show that the tree stood in an opening surrounded
by a dense forest of spruces. One of the Woodpeckers, sufficiently large
and distinct to be easily identified with the aid of a magnifying glass,
appears clinging to the trunk a few feet from the entrance to its nest.
This opening, according to Mr. Bailey’s description, was of sufficient size
to admit the hand and arm, so that no preliminary cutting was necessary
in order to reach the eggs.

When the nest was first discovered both birds were in it together, but
on the following day when the eggs were taken the male was away, and
did not appear until his home was invaded. He watched the movements
of the enemy from a safe distance, relieving his mind, meanwhile, by
“ talking a good deal.” The female parent, on the contrary, showed
marked devotion to her eggs. After being again and again driven from
the nest by violent pounding at the base of the tree, she would quickly
return; and even after the eggs were removed she entered the nest and
remained within for some time, peeping out every nowand then as if seek-
ing some trace of her lost treasures.

After the nest was robbed, the pair disappeared for a few days, but
returned about July 1, and a week or so later (I have been unable to obtain
the exact date and particulars) Mr. Bailey took a second set of four eggs
from the same hole.

In the eggs of the first se f incubation had progressed several days,
showing that probably the full number had been laid. They measured
respectively: 1.34 X 1.00, 1.28 X 1.00, 1.27 X 1.00, and 1.22 X .97 inch.
In shape they are full, somewhat elliptical ovate. Save that they are
larger and have an even higher polish, they closely resemble the eggs of
Colaptes, showing the same conspicuous pits or pores. — William Brew-
ster, Cambridge, Mass. AUK, VXI, Get, 18S0.P. */ro -*/o / ■

Dec. 1887.]

AND OOLOGrlST.

195

4

Up a Stump.

BY WALTER HOXIE.

My woodpeckers have gone; I don’t know
when they went, but I missed them to-day. I
ting around that way to see how they were get-
went along but the old stump was silent and de-
serted. They have been great company for me
ever since 1 found them carpentering away so
busily one breezy day last spring. (What I
really wanted was to get their eggs, for nat-
uralists are all thieves by instinct, although on

rare occasions they submit to really moral
instincts). In this case the nest was too high
to reach easily, and the old pine stump was so
decayed at the foot as to rock and feel
very insecure when I essayed to climb. I was
very glad on the whole to be alone, for if any
one had been along to hint that I was afraid of
a tumble, 1 should have undoubtedly gone to the
top and had some eggs of the I ’ilea ted Wood-
pecker. As it was I had watched them too long,
and as usual in such cases, I hadn’t the heart to
play a mean trick on this couple of new ac-
quaintances -that were just setting up house-
keeping, so I sat myself down behind a long
screen of moss that depended from a cedar
bough, and while I lunched and smoked, con-
tinued to watch the movements of the pair. At
first, they were quite anxious. Their black and
white plumage and gaudy scarlet crests glanced
fitfully about from time to time. They were
silent too for some time. At last, the male came
and stood on the top of the stump for some
time and took a careful survey of the surround-
ings. He seemed on the whole satisfied, but to
make assurance doubly sure, he had recourse
to a clever ruse. He flew screeching through
the woods two or three times, seemingly with
an effort to be as conspicuous as possible, and
then settled on the side of another stump some
ways off and fell to digging away with might
and main, pausing every now and then as if to
see if his actions would not decoy the suspi-
cious looking intruder away. His mate was
the first to conclude that their visitor was
harmless however, and when she had once set-
tled to her task in earnest, her mate was pro-
fuse in his offer of aid. Every time she left the
hole with a mouthful of chips, he would slip in
and pound and scoop away till she came back,
when he in turn would gather up his bundle
and make off. I noticed that they had this habit
in common with the Ivory-bills that used to be
about here. No chips or litter were left about
their dwelling. All the debris was carried away
and deposited, and not often in the same place.
When my pipe was out, I watched my oppor-
tunity and stole quietly off while madam was
away and her spouse inside. Over a week
elapsed before my next visit. Madam was at
home and evidently brooding. Her sharp bill and
white chin showed for an instant in response to
my knock below. I heard her mate belaboring
some dead trees at no great distance, and it was
not many minutes after I had sought my place
of concealment before I caught sight of gay
dress coming in very scalloping flights through
the lights and shadows of the pines. He

brought some dainty tid-bit to his patient bet-
ter half, and was away again without a pause.
In fact, he did not really close his wings while
supplying Madam with her needed sustenance,
but clung fluttering for a few brief seconds
while she received her grub — slang, perhaps,
but yet a literal fact— and then swung oft in
quest of more. He was seldom away over ten
minutes at a time except on one occasion, when
I purposely frightened him in order to secure
his prize. It took very little arithmetic to de-
termine that his day’s labor must result in the
destruction of about sixty-five of those in-
sects, and during the next two weeks, I count-
ed no less than eight old decayed stumps and
logs that he had completely pulverized. I now
caught him at work upon a living tree, and this
caused me some speculation. I question whether
my friends saved any valuaule timber in their
struggle for existence. Their prey consisted of
insects that attack trees already dead. The
heart wood borers that sap the life of a tree,
and the swarming caterpillars that devastated
the foliage, seemed both to be exempt from
his attacks. But each of these had its appro-
priate feathered enemy, as 1 very well know.

It was eighteen days later when I became
convinced that there were babies in the home.
The response to my usual summons was a re-
port like hissing. Both parents likewise man-
i tested the greatest anxiety at my presence,
which had during my frequent visits got
to be looked upon as quite a polite attention I
thought. The head of the family seemed to
work himself up into quite a rage, and, in fact,
I began to fear he would resort to personal vio-
lence. So I didn’t stay long; I reflected that
this was a new thing, no doubt, and my friends
were excited and agitated, and I promised my-
self to return soon when every thing was set-
tled and running smoothly.

The next night I shall long remember. I had
been at the beach, and the weather worked bad,
very bad indeed. I would have started for home
in the middle of the afternoon, but there was no
wind and the tide very strong and against me.
All the sky was covered with “ mares’ tails,”
and up in the northeast lumps and masses of
clouds began to form. Just at night-fall, the
voice of the sea sounded from that way too, and
little ragged racing clouds came along looking
rosy in the twilight, when a little puff of wind
came and I was off. In less than ten minutes
it was blowing a gale, gusty and squally, and I
was close hauled, pitching into the short waves
of the sound and holding to the steering oar
for dear life. It grew darker and rougher every

Pileated Woodpecker, vs. Blue Jay.

BY L. O. PINDAR, HICKMAN, KY.

I will relate a little incident connected with
the above bird of which I was an amused wit-
ness this morning.

I was coming back from a walk when I saw a
large black bird, which I knew at once, both
from the rolling flight peculiar to all woodpeck-
ers and the large white wing patches, to be a
I’ileated Woodpecker. He was flying high up
in the air but as I watched him he flew down
and alighted on a tree not far oft'. I started to
the tree, for although the Pileated Woodpecker
is a rather common bird here in the swamps,
yet I always like to wateli them. As I ap-
proached he flew to another limb but this tree
was already tenanted by a Ked-headed Wood-
pecker who pecked him savagely and flew be-
hind the tree. Red-head then gave one of those
long rattling calls, which is one of the first
noises we hear of a morning. A Blue Jay
Immediately appeared upon the scene and flew
at Ilylotomus, not I suppose out of sympathy
for the Red-head but simply because a Blue
Jay cannot keep out of a fight if he can get in-
to one. As he came Hylotomus dodged behind
the tree and as the Blue Jay passed struck at
him with his great dagger like bill with such
violence that missing the jay he was almost
{jerked from his perch and he flew to another
■ tree. Immediately a dozen blue jays were after
him, but the moment he faced around all but
two took their departure in hot haste. The re-
maining two, however, charged him, drove
him from his perch and chased him all over
the large woods. At last, almost tired out, he
alighted on a beech tree, taking no notice of
his triumphant pursuers who were screaming
at him from a limb about two feet away, he
commenced to peck the rotton limb he was sit-
ting on. At the first stroke a large piece of
bark was hurled to the ground and the fright-
ened jays flew off screaming and left him mas-
ter of the field. 0 &Q XILSep t. 1887 p.146

shvtni/ 1 1 0'lbaJZcO

I also saw two Pileated Wood-
peckers, ( Ilylotomus pileatus.) I think
they were wanderers, for the land has
been pretty well cleared by fires and log-
gers. I never saw but one of these birds
alive before. It was in the beginning of
last winter, near Dover, Del. There had
been a “ freeze” the night before and all
the small puddles, and a good many of
the big ones had a pretty thick coat of ice.
While walking - near a creek I heard some-
thing pounding on the ice, and then an an-
gry “ squeal ” unmistakeably a bird’s. A
few steps brought him in sight. He was
down on the ice covering a small inlet,
pounding till I thought he would break
his bill, and stopping every few seconds
to squeal. I could not see what he want-
ed, unless it was water. After several
minutes of this occupation he flew up and
lit on a tree directly in front of me, and
not over six feet away, and pounded it.

Then with a series of cries he flew into the
swamp and that was the last I saw of him,
but his whole performance was extremely

ludicrous. — Chas. D. Gibson, Renovo , Pa.

QM O. -VlULDee, 1383 p. <j H.

Pileated Woodpecker. I had, some years since, an
opportunity to observe the habits of a pair of Pileated
Woodpeckers, {Ilylotomus pileatus,) that made their nests
in a dead elm in an old clearing, in an excavation in the
main trunk, about forty feet from the ground. One day,
after the young birds were hatched, one of the parent birds
arrived with a large grub, and alighting on the bare, smooth
trunk about fifteen feet below the nest as usual, commenced
to ascend after the manner of the Pici, when a pair of Red-
headed Woodpeckers attacked it, flying up from below.
The Pileatus defended itself courageously by striking up-
ward against the air with its wings, and striking its assail-
ants with the points of its vectrices, and actually thus beat
them nearly to the ground, before one of them dexterously
seized the prize and made off to its own nest. I would like
to know if similar rencounters have been observed by your-
self or correspondents.— Mrs. Margaret Musick, Mount
Carmel , Mo. Q.&O. IX. Oct. 1884. p./i ST.

Analecta Ornithologica
Leonard Stejneger

XXIV. On the proper Generic Name of the Pile-
ated Woodpecker and Allies.

The generic name Hylotomus for the Pileated Woodpeckei
cannot stand, because preoccupied by Hylotoma Latieille
(given to an hymenopterous insect in 1804). Cabanis was
aware of the fact and changed the name in 1862 to Ceophloeus , in
which genus he placed lineatus , scapularis , erythrops , and
pileatus , with the first mentioned as ‘typus generis.’ The fol-
lowing year, however, he separated pileatus from the others,
bestowing upon it the name Phloeotomus. As Mr. Ridgway
has convinced me, pileatus and lineatus are strictly congeneric,
and, consequently/the generic appellation of the latter applies
as well to the former.

Genus Ceophloeus* Cab.

<p 83 1 . —Dry atom us Swainson, Faun. Bor. Am. II, pp. 303 & 104 (type
P. martins').

<1849. — Dryopicos Malherbe, Mdm. Acad. Metz, 1849, P- 3 2 ° ( same

type)-

<1850. — Dryopicus Malherbe, Classif. Picin. Sept. 1850 (same type).

X 1854. — Driopicus Bonaparte, Consp. Zyg. Estr. At. Ital., No. 8, May
1854, p. 8 (type pileatus').

=1858. — Hylatomus Baird, B. N. Am. p. 107 (type pileatus).

=1862. — Hylotomus Cabanis, Journ. f. Orn, 1862, p. 176 (emend.).

=1862. — Ceophloeus Cabanis, Journ. f. Orn. 1862, p. 176 (type lineatus).

>1863. — Phloeotomus Cabanis, Mus. Hein. IV. p. 102 (type pileatus).

At first sight it might seem as if Malherbe’s Dryopicos would
be available, but a closer investigation shows that this author
only emended Boie’s Dryobates and Swainson’s Dryotomus to
suit his new nomenclature, in which all the four-toed Wood-
peckers had names ending in ‘ picus ’ or ‘■picos’( !). The two
generic names just referred to have expressly martins for type,
and Dryopicos may therefore be considered as having the same
type.

The North American species will stand as

R. 371. Ceophloeus pileatus (Linn.) Cab. Pileated
Woodpecker,

the authorities being

1758. — Picus pileatus Linn., S. N. 10 ed. I. p. 113.

1862. — C\_eophloeus~\ pileatus Cabanis, Journ. f. Orn. 1862, p. 176.

Smithsonian Institution,

Washington. D.C. , Dec. 1, 1884.

* Deriv. Kea = I split, (|>\oi.o's = bark.

Auk, 2, Jan., 1886. p.

The Pileated Woodpecker. By Coahoma [=F. G. Dabney].
Ibid.: Sept. 6, p. 122. For, & Stream, Voi. 81

1104. The Pileated Woodpecker. By Dr. E. sterling.
i 3 , p. 44. Wot. -Js Strea®.

1717.

Ibid . , Aug.

The Pileated Woodpecker. By J. W. Jacobs. Ibid . , JNo. 4 „ , TT ,

00 - -- T Atut, vil. Jan.

1890.P.U

Bay State Qo¥' 7 '

April, 1888, p. 31,

1 458 ■ Occurrence of the Pileated W 0 o dp e c ke r (Hylotomus pileatus) in
Eastern Massachusetts. By Foster II. Brackett. Ibid.. Vol. Ill, p. 17.

pttar, Joxzr, Bos.Zool. Boo. ISl

Uncommon Birds at Hatley, Stanstead County, Quebec. — It

may be interesting to record the fact of having found the Red-headed
Woodpecker ( Melanerpes erythrocephalun ) breeding here this summer, the
nest being in a dead maple tree at the roadside about fifteen feet above the
ground, and when found on July 16, containing four young birds which left
the nest between July 31 and August 4. During the same month, and
whilst on my way to visit the above nest I came across an example of the
Turkey Vulture ( Cathartes aura septentrionalis ) on July 31, which I was
enabled to follow about in a large wood for some considerable time and ■
thoroughly identify. Two months later, or on September 24, whilst hunt-
ing in “the marsh” I was fortunate enough to secure a fine example
of the Green Heron ( Butorides virescens virescens ) and shortly after
whilst visiting a farmer in the district I was shown a mounted example of
the Black-crowned Night Heron ( Nycticorax nycticorax ncEvius ) which
he had shot some eight years ago at Fitch Bay about twelve miles from
Hatley. At another house I was shown a mounted male example of the
Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker ( Picoides arcticus ) which was shot about
two years ago in the fall near Massawippi, all these five birds being new
to my list. — H. Mousley, Hatley, Que.

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159. Melanerpes erythrocephalus. Red-headed Woodpecker. —
Common summer resident, April 19 to August 29; breeds. One winter
record (January 28, 1905). This woodpecker was scarce during the
summer of 1906.

Remarks on Some Western Vermont Birds. —The Red-headed
Woodpecker (. Melanerfes erythrocefihalus , Sw.), is a strangely erratic
species. Mr. C. S. Paine has taken but a single specimen in the eastern
part of the State, and five years ago it was a very rare species about here
(Brandon). Now they are nearly as abundant as the common Golden-
wings. At Orwell, only ten miles to the west, they outnumber the
Golden-wings, and appear to be on the increase. Dr. C. H. Merriam
mentions (Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, Vol. Ill, No. 3, p. 124) their remain-
ing in N01 them New York during some of the severest winters known.
I have never observed them in this vicinity later than the 2d of October,
except in one instance (January 7, 1879), when I took a single specimen.
Yt Rutland, sixteen miles south of Brandon, Mr. Jenness Richardson in-
forms me that they are a resident species, being as abundant in winter
as in summer. They were particularly abundant about here during
August and September, 1879, being attracted, no doubt, by the grea”
abundance of black cherries (. Primus serotina ), which they appear to
relish greatly. I have frequently observed this species to employ the same
nest for several successive seasons.

JZ

f

Ball .N.O.O. , Jan, 1882, p. 03

tyV /-{rtoyvoO asi* trf

yJfcUTtu.irt. 0. y'Acy.j t

Red-headed Woodpecker, ( Melanerpes
erythrocephalus ). Rare. Summer visitor. I
have noted it but twice, May 11th, and
July 17, 1883.

O.&O. IX. Nov. 1884 . p. 752 .

Summer Bds.Mt. Mansfield, Vt.

13. * Melanerpes erythrocephalus. Red-headed Woodpecker.
Mrs. Straw says of this bird : “ rare; saw two in June, 1S96.”

by' Arthur H. HoweiL

Auk, XVIII, Oct., 1901, p\ 3‘ ,/.

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Decrease of Birds in M*ss. J. A. Allen

It is also a matter of record that
the Red-headed Woodpecker has nearly disappeared almost within
the present generation, from all the region east of the Hudson
River, where it was formerly as common, apparently, as it is no
in any of the Middle or Western States. In this ease, however the
disappearance is without an evident cause. The deforestation of t e
State has undoubtedly produced a vast decrease among the othe
species of the Picidw, as well as generally among all the stric - y
forest birds, through the great restriction of their natural haun s.

Bull. N, 0.0, I, Sept, 1876. p. d'6'.

i/tS y ^

t*C

//■ A'.

Another bird that I

did not expect to see was the Red-headed Woodpecker. Numbers
of them had been seen during the fall, but about the first of
December most of them disappeared. Still some remained, and
were seen in Brookline during the entire winter, not leaving us
until the middle of April.

X Bull. N, 0. 0, 8, July. 1888. p, /6 0 .

?7

Birds of Bristol County .Mass.
F. W. Andros.

Melanerpes erythrocephalus (Linn.), Red-
headed Woodpecker. Transient.

O.&O. XII. Sept. 1887 p.139

/Viffcv ^tryUL- AA-zc<trl

On Jan. 30, a Red-headed Woodpecker ( me-
l anerpes erythrocephalus') . was seen by a young
friend of mine while riding from here to Fox-
boro.

0.& O. XIII. July. 1888 p. 104

General Notes.

Bird Notes from Springff ield, Mass.

Robert O. Morris.

Mr. E. H. Barney is devoting several acres of land near his home in the
suburbs of Springfield to the cultivation of numerous kinds of trees and
shrubs that long retain their seeds, hoping thereby to attract various kinds
of birds, that he and others may study their habits. To this place, early
in the autumn, a flock of about fifty Red-headed Woodpeckers (Melanerpes
erythrocephalus) came and remained several days. Heretofore these birds
have not been observed here, except occasionally singly or, more rarely, in
pairs. Auk XII. Jan. 1898 p; 88

A >

vienerai motes.

of Central Berkshire..

y, Mass. era TT. AIW . & tiMilWkiA

16. Melanerpes erythrocephalus.

seen in Stockbridge, May 30, 1892.

Red-headed Woodpecker. — One

Auk XII. Jan. 1895 p. 88

-nu „ , Auk > XIIr > July, 1890.

The Redheaded Woodpecker in Eastern Massachusetts. — It is so

seldom that a Red-headed Woodpecker ( Melanerpes erythrocephalus') is
seen in eastern Massachusetts that its occurrence is worthy of note. On
Sunday noon, March 8, 1896, while taking a walk through a grove of
mixed elm, maple and pine trees in the section of Boston known as
Dorchester, I came across a beautiful bird of this species, lazily climbing
about on a partially decayed stump and apparently searching for food.
The bird was very tame, allowing me to follow it closely as it flew from
tree to tree and to approach to within ten or fifteen yards on several
occasions. After watching it for some fifteen minutes and thinking
from its tameness and from its partiality to a particular stump that it
might be wintering in the locality I quietly withdrew. A thorough
search of the woods the next morning failed to discover the bird again
and I concluded it was probably a temporary visitor.

On May 8, 1896, while walking early in the morning in Dorchester
District, my attention was attracted by the loud calling of a Red-headed
Woodpecker. After a short search the bird was located in a clump of
tall oak trees and was shot. It proved to be a male in full plumage, and
was very fat. This is probably the same bird noticed by me on March 8,
1896, as recorded above, as it was shot within one hundred yards of where
it was previously observed.

I have seen this species in Massachusetts only once before, the first
time being on May 19, 1878. — Foster II. Brackett, Boston , Mass.

*2L 35 “

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447 Crafts st. West Newton, June 2ij, 1901.

My dear Mr. Deane,

I think the best way for you to get the
address of the party who collected the nest of the Pine Finch is to
write Dr. J. S. Frisbje, Church st. Newton , and ask him to give you
the address of the son of Judge Park who was interested in bird's
eggs. I should have to write Dr. Frisbie^and this course will save
delay. Do not say anything about the collection of the: Newton Soc.
Nat. Hist, for if you do the Dr. will refer you to me, an^, as 1
told you i.. ai that Park collection was withdrawn from the old
society's collection before this collection was turned over to tne

Maynard Chapter.

About the Red-headed Woodpecker in Newton. There is a pair
nesting in an old stub just off. C«Mt st., the stub stands in open
sight beside an unfinished road, which is the first entrance Beyond
Cabot Park, going east. Cabot st. runs from Center st. Ne*ton, to Wal-
nut st., Newtonville . These birds have been breeding in that stub,
according to report, since 1900, but X have seen them for the first
time this year. By report another pair attempted to breed in Auburn-
dale. One of my pupils, upon whom I can depend, saw a pair on Main

Bowker estate, and. the birds are said

st., Waltham. This was on the

to be. breeding there. I heard the characteristic rattle of one as I
sat in an electric car in Framingham, near the Normal School. As I

ther. Quite a number of the girls at the school are very good od-
servers, but none of them had seen the woodpecker, nor didd I see or
hear it afterwards, Another pair of Red-heads were reported to me by
a teacher from Watertown, as oecuring near the Charles River.

You will be interested to learn that I saw a pair of Phil,
adelphia Vireos at Way land on June 1 this year. The birds were
feeding in low bushes by the road- side, anck.a s they were not wild ,

I easily got within a few feet of them. One, presumedly the male,
was uttering a low raij|iri<ring note , similar to that I heard the) 1 ^ ns
give that \ I saw last year.

I trust that Mr Brewster and you will pardon the delay in
not answering sooner, but this is the first day that I have not had
a class or piivate lessons for two months. I shall try and get down
to Cambridge in July.

Very truly yours,

I

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—It is not common to see 4 red
headed woodpecker in the midst cf such
abundance of snow as at present. Bey -
Mr. Krietler,-J. M. VanHuyck and L. 0.
VonTrnmp each hung a large picee of
suet before the snow came on a tree in
the yard near the house. Birds have
come daily to peck at the suet, nut-
hatches, woodpeckers, chicadees and
juncoes. In the last few days a red-
headed woodpecker has been seen
among the birds in Mr. Krietler’s tree, a
" e * C0Uie visitor because so unexpected.

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Wi tii the compliment
of the season.

W.D.

—It is not common to see 4 red
headed woodpecker in the midst cf such
abundance of snow as at present. Rev .
Mr. Krietler.'J. JM. VanHuyck and L. C.
VonTrnmp each hung a large picee of
suet before the snow came on a tree in
the yard near the house. Birds have
come daily to peck at the suet, nut-
hatches, woodpeckers, chicadees and
juncoes. In the last few days a red-
headed woodpecker has been seen
among the birds in Mr. Krietler’s tree, a
" e Ioooi© visitor because so unexpected, i

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With the compliments
of the season.

W.D.

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—It is not common to see 4 red
headed woodpecker in the midst cf such
abundance of snow as at present. Rsv .
Mr. Krietler; J. M. YanHuyckand L. O.
VonTrnmp each hung a large picee of
suet before the snow came on a tree in
the yard near the house. Birds have
come daily to peck at the suet, nut-
hatches, woodpeckers, chicadees and
juncoes. In the last few days a red-
headed woodpecker has been seen
among the birds in Mr. Krietler’s tree, a
w elcome visitor because so unexpected.

Pptc- iy/OJ i- ac- t- ,

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With the compliments
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W.D.

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Melanerpes erythrocephalus Breeding near Boston. — On the 26th of
June, 1901, I saw a pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers feeding their young
in Newton, Mass., the nest being in a dead stump at a height of twenty
or twenty-five feet from the ground. According to Messrs. Howe and
Allen’s ‘Birds of Massachusetts’ this would seem to be the first nest
ever recorded from eastern Massachusetts, although Mr. Brewster, in
his edition of Minot, speaks of one found in Brookline in 1878. —
Bradford Torrey, Wellesley Hills , Mass.

Auk, XVIII, Oct., 1901, p.35*.

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Melanerpes erythrocephalus Breeding near Boston. — On the 26th of
June, 1901, I saw a pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers feeding their young
in Newton, Mass., the nest being in a dead stump at a height of twenty
or twenty-five feet from the ground. According to Messrs. Howe and
Allen’s ‘Birds of Massachusetts’ this would seem to be the first nest
ever recorded from eastern Massachusetts, although Mr. Brewster, in
his edition of Minot, speaks of one found in Brookline in 1878. —
Bradford Torrey, Wellesley Hills , Mass.

Auk, XVIII, Oct., 1901 , p-. 39 *.

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Old Records for Mass, & Rhode Id.

August 31, 1889. Shot one Red-headed Woodpecker ( Melanerpes ery-
throcephalus) , in immature plumage, apparently born on t e is an i.
September 23 saw a young bird, on November 23, saw anothe ,
September 10, 1881, shot one.

Auk 28, Jan -1011

Red-headed Woodpecker at Newburyport, Mass.— On July 13,
1912 while engaged in photographing, in a mowing field, the nest and eggs
of the Ring-necked Pheasant, my attention was caught by a flash of bold
color in a nearbv elm, and on the completion of my work with the camera
I went to investigate the owner of the brilliant plumage. Soon locating
him on a dead limb near the upper centre of the tree I readily
him as a Red-headed Woodpecker (. Melanerpes erylhrocephalus), an un-
common bird in this part of New England. I had a good view of him
covering a period of several minutes, as he explored the points of interest
on the dead limbs of the tree. After a little while he took flight m a
northerly direction, but although I walked for some little distance, I was
unsuccessful in getting another glimpse of him. , ,

Inquiries in the neighborhood brought out the fact that he had bee
seen several times, earlier in the season, but I could find no one who knew
of his breeding here. Doubtless he was a solitary wanderer who had

straved from his usual range. . 1r i

Some twenty years ago a pair of these birds were found nesting m an old
orchard in the southern end of the town. Just at the time that the our
young, were ready to fly, the whole family was taken and now graces the
private collection of a resident of the town.- S. Waldo Batlev, New-
bury port, Mass.

JSfiJk XX IX. C'St. i'91.

Red-headed Woodpeckebs have been quite
common the present Fall about Providence,
a number of both adults and young being

taken. Usually we he^gg 6 ,u Vi¥. c 4 , i»A' v l < & 8 2. p. ///.
specimens being taken in a year. — F. T. J.

Notes from Rhode Island. — The following records seem to me worthy
of publication: —

Melanerpes erythrocephalus. Red-headed Woodpecker. — At James-
town, Conanicut Island, on September, 1898, I took a young male, and in
the Newport Historical Society’s Collection there is a young bird, sex
not given, that was taken in the same locality in October, 1892, by Amon
Parmenter. Auk, XVI, April, 1899, p'pt S'} -/Jo.

Red-headed Woodpecker. — On December
11, I saw an adult specin^^o^WipEH ]882 . p .//|
Wees on the 4th, near Hartford. — II. T. G.

lA* irAta

One Red-heade d W oodpecker has re-
mained all Winter in a large oak in an
open lot, where I have seen it come out of
a hole in a dead limb and make dashes out
into the air in manner of Flycatchers, and
returning, alight on the slender twigs of
the outermost branches, swinging head
downwards, utterine - its harsh notes.

O.&O. Vm.j{n.l883.p

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ad^ISewStatoX'JrSfe.' RED ' HEADED Woodpecker.- An

Ux «V /?/!?, foxs^

Notes on Some Winter Residents of
Hadson Valley. E,A.Mea,rns.

15. Melanerpes erythrocephalus. Red-headed Woodpecker.

Mr Huyler says the Red-lieaded Woodpeckers stay at Tenafly all winter.
They occur at that season about Pcekskill ; and I observed them in abun-
dance at Locust Grove, Lewis County, Northern New York, during the
last of December and early part of January, 1878. Several adult spec,
mens that I shot had the ventral surface strongly discolored with reo,
doubtless derived from the oak-trees, though my friend, Mr. C. Hart Mer-
riam, assured me that no oak-trees grow in that region.

BnlLN.O.O. 4 , Jan. , 1879 , p .36

Birds observed in Naval Hospital
Grounds, Brooklyn, G.H, Coues

7. Melanerpes erythrocephalus. Red-headed Woodpecker.
Common during summer.

Bull. N. O.O. 4, Jan. , 1879. P-

Birds of the Adirondack Region.
O. H,Merriaxn.

108.

Melanerpes erythrocephalus (Linn.) Snainson. Re °- he ^“
WooDPECKER—Not common but breeds about the borders of the wilde -

ness.

Bull. N. 0.0. 6, Oct, 1881. P.232

Prae- Zalau&aan Soa. of N.T. 38-89

Mr. John N. Drake mentioned finding parasites resembling grains of
rice among the feathers of eight specimens of Red-headed Woodpecker
{Melanerpes erythrocephalus) taken by him in Sullivan Co., N, Y., last
summer.

a a Apr c 188& ■ '9< ' W

Pme- Liinnaean Soo, of N. Y, 38-80

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atuXwvudb /'t-ecM/lts ' -04 fy, ti.

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Atsk. 6 , Apr, 1889 , P. 202

Oneida County, New Tork
William L. Ralph & Egbert Bagg

Melanerpes erythrocephalus.— Messrs. Shepard and Hughes found these
birds at Remsen, Dec. 20 to 22, 188S.

Auk, VII. July, 18 do, p„ 3 . 3 / -

Albinism and Melanism in North
American Birds* Ruthven Deane,

Melanerpes erythrocephalus. ^ c ^,

{tc £ f ct f t .

Bull. N. 0.0. 1, April, 1876, p.24

Albinistic Plumages. R. Deane,

23. Melanerpes erythrocephalus. Red-hf.aded Woodpecker.
— Mr. Henry Garrett lias favored me with a letter regarding species af-
fected by albinism in his collection, among which is a Red-headed Wood-
pecker pure white, even the tarsi, toes, and bill.* It was shot, Oct. 10,
1871, in Williamstown, Penn.

* In many descriptions of pure albinism, the bill, tarsi, feet, claws, etc. are
also given as being white like the plumage. In such examples I have generally
found the bill, feet, etc., light flesh-colored, but never of a milky whiteness.

Bull. N. 0.0. 5, J*m., 1880, p.28

The Singing of Birds. B.P.BxoWl.

Melanerpes erythrocephalus. Red-headed Woodpecker.

This fine bird is usually uncommon about New York, and long
periods may elapse when it appears to be altogether absent. But
it is liable to come in flocks any autumn, when many may stay
and spend the winter.

The species was common from September, 1881 , until the
middle of the following May. Their usual note — a guttural
lattle, similar to the cry of the tree-toad ( Hyla versicolor ) — was
kept up all through the winter. In April their vocabulary was
augmented by a hoarse, hollow-sounding cry. Then the birds in
small companies still occupied the same woods where they had
passed the winter, but were more noisy and active, and would
sometimes set up a confused screaming all together. The tree-
toad rattle I have also heard in August.

Auk, 2, July, 1885. p. If*/.

A Musical Woodpecker. — My attention was first called to this tal-
ented bird by the rapid vibrations of one of the four wires running into
our office. Looking down the track from where the noise seemed to
proceed I spied a Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus')
on top of a pole not far away. Leaving the office I went down to the
stock pens to watch proceedings. I did not have long to wait, for he
began in a short time drumming vigorously against a protruding piece
of wire. The piece of wire in question was about ten or twelve inches
long with a loop in the center ; it stood straight up parallel with the
pole and about six inches above it, and protruded from a joint or splice
in the wire, left there by some careless lineman.

The Woodpecker would drum against it for ten to fifteen seconds at a
time, stopping now and then to listen to the humming of the wire, or fly
out to catch a passing insect. He would stop and listen in evident enjoy-
ment, then utter a call and proceed. He kept this up for over a month,
when he disappeared and I have not seen him since. — Otto Holstein,
Muir, Ky. Auk, XVI, Oct. , 1899, p • 35\J.

Red-headed Woodpeckers.

|P Tour advice about the red-headed Wood-
peckers came too late. I had been watch-
ing a pair that had their nest finished for
some time, and finally concluded that they
'must have completed the set, and so
opened the hole to find it empty. A sec-
ond nest I had my “ eye” on was opened
by small boys. I still have one left from
which I hope to get a set. Mr. Worthing-
ton shot one of the birds which belonged
to this nest, but I was there to-day and
I ^the other bird had secured a new mate
■ s' and was very much worried when I was
near the nest, so I think she has begun to
^ lay. I shall not distub her however for
^another week as this is my “third and last
^chance” for a set, and I want to be sure
this time. Worthington has shot four of
H. these birds this Spring which I think
^ would have bred. I told him he ought
not to shoot them, but he didn’t think
they were going to stay.

Tioga Oo.N.Y. Aide* Loring-

375 , Red-headed Woodpecker. Not com- 1
mon. Breeds. Excavates a hole in a decayed i
tree and lays its five glossy, white eggs on the
chips it has made. The measurements of a
set of five eggs now before me are ldn. by
23-30 in., 1 in. by 11-42 in., 1 in. by 23-36 in.,

1 in. by 23-36 in., 1 1-6 in. by 3-4 in.

2JV, Sun©, 1890, P-85

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birds

Melanerfes erythrocefhalus about Boston. — Massachusetts, at least
the extreme eastern part, has shared in the flight of Red-headed Wood-
peckers that has been reported. as- visiting Southern Connecticut last fall.*
During the latter part of September, through October and into November,
the oak groves in the suburbs of Boston were tenanted by numbers of
these truly handsome birds. X should judge that about one-thiid were
in full plumage, and their conspicuous dress attracting attention many
were shot. .Twelve years ago the individual occurrence of this species
among us was thought worthy of record. Of late years, during the
months above named, it has become a more frequent though irregular
visitor, but never in such numbers as have recently shown themselves.
In spring or summer it is rarely seen, yet an instance of its nesting in
Brookline is given me by Mr. H. K. Job, who early in June, 1878, found
five eggs in the hole of an apple tree. According to Dr. C. Hart Merriam,
this Woodpecker is a common resident of Lewis County, N. Y.f May
not our visitors have come from that direction? — H. A. Purdie, Newton,
Mass.

* Ornithologist and Oologist, Vol. VI, pp. 78, 79.
t This Bulletin, Vol. Ill, p. 123.

Bull. N.O.C. ,^11,1882. P, ^ 7

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Melanerfes erythrocefhalus about Boston. — Massachusetts, at least
the extreme eastern part, has shared in the flight of Red-headed Wood-
peckers that has been reported as- visiting Southern Connecticut last fall.*
During the latter part of September, through October and into November,
the oak groves in the suburbs of Boston were tenanted by numbers of
these truly handsome birds. I should judge that about one-third were
in full plumage, and their conspicuous dress attracting attention many
were shot. .Twelve years ago the individual occurrence of this species
among us was thought worthy of record. Of late years, during the
months above named, it has become a more frequent though irregular
visitor, but never in such numbers as have recently shown themselves.
In spring or summer it is rarely seen, yet an instance of its nesting in
Brookline is given me by Mr. H. K. Job, who early in June, 1878, found
five eggs in the hole of an apple tree. According to Dr. C. Hart Merriam,
this Woodpecker is a common resident of Lewis County, N. Y.f May
not our visitors have come from that direction? — H. A. Purdie, Newton,
Mass.

* Ornithologist and Oologist, Vol. VI, pp. 78, 79.
f This Bulletin, Vol. Ill, p. 123.

Bull. N.O.C, , Jan, 1882 , P< ^ 7-

r-C^y-7 4-^ [&JL. 3 { « / £ Isj

7^ c^> ^ - 1 lXs rw &U>

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Some New Traits for, the Red-headed Woodpecker ( Melanerpes
erythrocephalus). — A remarkable instance of foresight in several birds of
this species in “ looking out for a rainj^ day ahead ” has been communi-
cated to me by my friend Mr. G. S. Agersborg of Vermilion, Dakota Ter.,
and I cannot do better than quote extracts from his letter : “ I have for-
gotten to mention to you an interesting fact about Melanerpes erythroceph-
ol is. Last spring in opening a good many birds of this species with the
object of ascertaining their principal food, I found in their stomachs noth-
ing but young grasshoppers. One of them, which had its headquarters
near my house, was observed making frequent visits to an old oak post,
and on examining it I found a large crack where the Woodpecker had in-
serted about one hundred grasshoppers of all sizes (for future use, as later
observations proved), which were put in without killing them, but they
were so firmly wedged in the crack that they in vain tried to get free. I
told this to a couple of farmers, and found that they had also seen ' the
same thing, and showed me the posts which were used for the same pur-
pose. Later in the season the Woodpecker, whose station was near my
house, commenced to use his stores, and to-day (February 10) there are
only a few shrivelled-up grasshoppers left. I have now not seen this bird
for over two weeks.”

A similar habit is related of the California Woodpecker {Melanerpes for-
micivorus) by Dr. Heermann in California, and Mr. J. K. Lord in British
Columbia ; the food in this instance being acorns, which were wedged
tightly in crevices, and in some cases the hollow stems of reeds were used.t
- H. B. Bailey, New York City. Bull. N.O.O. 3, April. 18 1 8 , p.

97 .

were shot in June. Common in Concho- County for two months in the
fall.

126. Contopus richardsonii. Western Wood Pewee.- Two shot in
fall of 1SS6, in Concho County.

127. Empidonax pusillus. Little Flycatcher. — Tolerably common
summer visitant. Breeds. Yo'ungshot.

128. Empidonax pusillus trailli. Traill’s Flycatcher. — Spring
migrant in the western half of Concho County, and I believe it breeds —
a point I thought I had already ascertained, but as there may be some
doubt, I cannot positively record it yet as breeding.

129. Empidonax minimus. Least Flycatcher. — Tolerably common
summer visitant. Abundant in fall. Have shot young ; no nests taken.
Arrival noted April 27, 1885.

130. Empidonax hammondi. Hammond’s Flycatcher. — Fall migrant.
Rare in Concho County; tolerably common in Tom Green County and
the most abundant Empidonax across the Pecos River.

131. Empidonax obscurus. Wright’s Flycatcher. — Rare fall mi-
grant. Secured twice in Tom Green County.

132. Otocoris alpestris arenicola. Desert Horned Lark. — Abundant
winter visitor. Arrives October 20 ; departs March 6. This is the only
Horned Lark noted for either county. None occur in summer to my
knowledge, although I have looked especially for them.

( To be continuedi)

THE RED-HEADED WOODPECKER A HOARDER.

BY O. P. HAY.

The Woodpeckers are eminently an insect-eating family, and
their whole organization fits them for gaining access to situations
where the supply of their normal food is perennial, if not always
abundant. There are, however, in all probability, few members
of the group that will not, when opportunities are offered, fore-
go their accustomed animal diet and solace themselves on soft
fruits and luscious berries; and when the blasts blow cold, and
the soggy limb is frozen hard, and the larva no longer betrays
its location by its industry, the few Woodpeckers of the species
which brave our winters are, no doubt, glad to avail themselves
of such dry forms of nutriment as grains, seeds of grasses, and
the softer nuts.

Notwithstanding the many sagacious traits exhibited by birds,
it is, to judge from the books, rather unusual for them to lay up

Mel aner Ties er y t hr o c ertlial us .

THE RED-HEADED WOODPECKER A HOARDER.

XXYm.,-Mo.S. fa lb, I«7- tMW-

BY O. P. HAY.

The woodpeckers are eminently an insect-eating family,
and their whole organization fits them for gaining access to
situations where the supply of their normal food is peren-
nial, if not always abundant. There are, however, in all
probability, few members of the group that will not, when
! opportunities are offered, forego their accustomed animal
: diet and solace themselves on soft fruits and luscious her.
ries ; and when the blasts blow cold, and the soggy limb is
frozen hard, and the larva no longer betrays its location by
its industry, the few woodpeckers of the species which
brave our Winters, are, no doubt, glad to avail themselves
of such dry forms of nutriment as grains, seeds of grasses
and the softer nuts.

Notwithstanding the many sagacious traits exhibited by
birds, it is, to judge from the books, rather unusual for
them to lay up a store of food for a period of scarcity ; and
yet it i s probably that w hen we have thoroughly learned
their modes of life many will be found to do this. One
woodpecker, Melanerpes formiaivorus, a near relative of our
red-headed woodpecker, has long been known as a hoarder
of treasures, and an interesting account of its habits is given
in Baird Brewer and Ridgway’s “ Birds of North America.”
This species is accustomed to dig small holes in the trunks
of trees, and to drive into each hole with great force a sin-
gle acorn. “ Thus the bark of a large pine forty or fifty feet
high will present the appearance of being closely studded
with brass nails, the heads only being visible.” It has, by
some, been denied that these acorns are collected for food ;
and it is quite probable that many more are stored away
than are ever eaten. It is even related that these birds
sometimes hide away in trees collections of small stones.
But there are evidences that sometimes, at least, the acorns
are utilized. Instinct probably leads the bird to overdo the
business of hoarding, just as human reason in a similar
direction often misleads its possessors.

Our red-headed woodpecker betrays its kinship to the
California species by the possession of somewhat similar
habits. Its propensity for hoarding does not appear to have
escaped the observation of many persons who make no
claims to being ornithologists, and yet I find in no scientific
work that I have been able to consult any notice thereof.
Gentry, who describes minutely the habits of this species,
says nothing about this trait. “The Birds of North
America ” contains no statement concerning the food of the
species ; and concerning the hoarding habits of the Califor-
nia woodpecker they are spoken of as being “ very remark-
able and, for a woodpecker, somewhat anomalous.”

Along with the great abundance of grains and fruits of
the past year, there has been, in Central Indiana at least, an
immense crop of beech-nuts ; and the red-heads have ap-
peared to be animated with an ambition to make the most
of their opportunities. Prom the time the nuts began to
ripen, these birds appeared to be almost constantly on the
wing, passing from the beeches to some place of deposit.
They have hidden away the nuts in almost every conceiv-
able situation. Many have been placed in cavities in par-
tially decayed trees; and the felling of an old beech is cer-
tain to provide a little feast for a bevy of children. Large

handfuls have been taken from a single knot-hole. They
are often found under a patch of the raised bark of trees,
and single nuts have been driven into the cracks in bark.
They have been thrust into the cracks in front gate-posts :
and a favorite place of deposit is behind long slivers on
fence-posts. I have taken a good handful from a single
such crevice. That sharpest of all observers, the small boy,
early discovered the location of these treasures. In a few
cases grains of corn have been mixed with beech-nuts, and
I have found also a few drupes apparently of the wild-
cherry and a partially-eaten bitter-nut. The nuts may
often be seen driven into the cracks at the ends of railroad i
ties ; and, on the other hand, the birds have often been seen
on the roofs of houses, pounding nuts into the crevices be-
tween the shingles. In several instances I have observed
that the space formed by a board springing away from a i
fence-post, has been nearly filled with nuts, and afterward
pieces of bark and wood have been brought and driven down
over the nuts as if to hide them from poachers. These
pieces of bark are sometimes an inch or more square and
half an inch thick and driven in with such force that it is
difficult to get them out. In one case the nuts were cov-
ered over with a layer of empty involucres.

Usually the nuts are still covered with the hulls ; but
here and there, where the crevice is very narrow, these
have been taken off and pieces of the kernels have been
thrust in. An examination recently of some of these caches
showed that the nuts were being attacked by animals of
some kind. The red-heads are frequently seen in the
vicinity of these stores and they sometimes manifest great
impatience at the presence of other birds. That other birds
and animals of any kind disturb these caches I do not know,
but it is quite probable that they do.

Since it might be questioned whether or not the wood-
peckers use for food the nuts thus stored up, I concluded
to apply a test that would probably decide the matter. Jan-
uary 7, after the prevalence for some time of severe weather,
I shot two red-heads and made an examination of the con-
tents of their alimentary canal. In the gizzards of both
were found considerable quantities of the more or less
broken kernels of what appeared to the unaided eye to be
beech-nuts. I then made microscopic sections of the pieces
and compared them with similar sections of beech-nuts, and
the two sets of sections were identical. The red-headed
woodpecker certainly eats beech-nuts. In the gizzards
there was also some kind of hard vegetable matter that I
could not determine, and some coarse sand; but there were
no remains of insects.

The laying up of such abundant stores of food for Winter
use, in so many places easy of access, and the precautions
taken to conceal them, all show a high degree of intelli-
gence in these birds.

The above observations were made in the village of Irv-
ington, near Indianapolis, Ind . — The Auk.

Red-headed Woodpeckers.

This bird is a rare visitor in this
vicinity, seldom more than one or two
being seen during the season, and then
only while migrating, usually in the Fall,
but very rarely in the Spring. The first
one observed this season was on the 10th
of September. On the 12tli I saw three,
and on the 20th I saw one. Early on the
morning of the 24th of September they
began to pass over in large numbers, and
continued to pass until about ten o’clock,
after which very few were seen, except
straggling groups of three or four, and oc-
casionally a single one* was seen to pass
over during the day. The flight must have
consisted of several hundred, principally
young birds. They came from the east
and were flying west. Many of them in
their flight would alight for a few minutes
in the orchards and corn fields to feed on
the half-ripened corn, or search among the
apple trees for the larva or eggs of insects
but would soon continue on their journey,
and their places would be supplied by
others. I noticed one or two to dart out
and seize an insect in the manner of a fly-
catcher. The following day but two or
three were seen. A few stragglers, how-
ever, were occasionally met with up to the
10th of October, and one was seen as late
as the 23d of November. I secured seve-
ral specimens. Upon dissecting them I
found their stomachs filled with remnants
of acorns and insects. — A. II. Helme ,

Miller s Place, Ij. I.

O.&o . VII. Apr. 3.00?!, P-

Red-headed Woodpecker. — Mr. A. H.

Helme’s note on this bird calls to mind an
instance of the fly-catching habit of the
Hairy Woodpecker. In June, 1881,. while
spending a few days in the wilds of the
Adirondacks, I found a nest of this bird
in front of my camp, in the decayed limb

of a pine, containing several young birds.
Every morning one of the parents occu-
pied itself quite faithfully in capturing in-
sects (in nearly every case large and easily
discernable ones), in the intervals of its
more dignified labor of searching the bark
of the trees. These insects were always
fed to the young. Perhaps it is not gen-
erally known that fly-catching is quite a
common part of the Woodpecker's every
day life ; but the instances are so many,
and come from such varied sources (includ-
ing nearly all the species that are more or
less well known), that it can no longer be
considered an individual peculiarity. — S. I.

WiUard, Chicago, III. .

O.&b. VIir.Tnb. 18 Sa p 7^*2

7 ?

ggOldae of Michigan
Stewart b, "Waite

7. Red-lieaded Woodpecker (Melanerpes
erythrophthalmus). Although by no means
our commonest, these are our^ most con-
spicuous representatives of this class. Arriv-
ing sometimes as early as the last of February j
j these birds do not attain the maximum of their
numbers until the last of April or the first of
May. This is our most familiar summer i
species inasmuch as it is to be found in the -

city as well as in the country, and along the
roads as well as in the woods.

These Woodpeckers levy on all classes of
food. Besides the insects and larvae, in the
obtaining of which they are as industrious as
any of the family; they are also fond of small
fruit and the milky kernels of the Indian corn.
In cherry time they become as expert as !
Robins in seizing the ripe fruit from the slender j
twigs; when the plums, grapes and choke-
cherries are in good condition they are on
hand ; while late in the fall and early in the
spring, frozen apples are first rate to fall back
on. They are connoisseurs too; wherever I
found a Red-lieaded Woodpecker, there was I
sure of the sweetest and best flavored cherries.
When one is surprised in these depredations
his presence of mind never deserts him; with
one savage stab he impales the best within
reach and retreats, prevented from giving vent
to his triumph only by the position of his
prey. When the maize is just on the point ;
of maturing they may be seen perched side- j
ways on the most succulent ears tearing off the
husks and devouring the sweet kernels. They
prepare vast hoards of acorns in abandoned
holes, simply for amusement it seems, for
apparently no use is made of the provisions so
carefully laid away.

Their cry is rattling and quite loud but not
as much so as those of some, others. These
birds are fond of selecting' a place of great
resonating power and hammering away to j
their hearts’ content, and therefore are often
seen perched on the sides of telegraph poles,
houses and fence posts.

For some reason they are especial objects of
fury to the Robin, and it is by no means an
unusual sight to see one hotly pursued by a
pair of the latter birds. It is very amusing to
see the ease and dexterity with which ho
avoids their rushes, dodging around a fence
post just in the nick of time, escaping to the
next when too closely pursued, and finally 1
plumping into a hole, leaving the mystified
liSbins to speculate on his disappearance.

They are always on hand for a frolic and in
companies of six or eight will play by the j
hour. Often when in pursuit of insects they
progress along the tops of large horizontal
limbs by a series of hops, but although they j
often alight on the ground for the purpose of
picking up choice morsels, yet I have never
seen them searching there as do the Flickers.
In September old and young gather together
in a large flock, and by the first of October the ;
bulk have gone south.

$&0,XVI. April. 1801. p. 6 %-

An Unrecorded Habit of the Red-
Headed Woodpecker.

Several years ago my attention was
called by a farmer to a singular habit
which the Red-lieaded Woodpeckers in his
neighborhood had of robbing the nests of
Cliff Swallows. Since then I have collect-
ed numerous instances of the kind.

The following incident I believe to be
true : Under the eaves of a large barn
near Mt. Sterling, O., a colony of Cliff
Swallows have built for some years. Last
year they were nearly exterminated by
several Woodpeckers. The Red-heads
would alight at the doors of the mud
huts and extract the eggs from the nests
with their bills. In some nests the necks
or entrance-ways were so long that the
Woodpeckers could not reach the eggs by
this means, but not willing to be cheated
of such choice food they would climb
around to the side, and with a few well di-
rected blows of their bills make openings
large enough to enable them to procure
the eggs. Of the dozens of nests built
not ' a single brood was reared in any.

One Woodpecker bolder than the rest be-
gan eating hen’s eggs wherever they could
be found. One morning the lady of the
house saw a woodpecker go into a barrel
in which she had a sitting of selected
hen’s eggs. Suspecting his purpose she
hastened out and found that he had al-
ready broken one egg. The hen was off
feeding. Presently the hen returned.

Thinking all now safe the lady was about
to enter the house when a Woodpecker
alighted upon the barrel, and hopping
around the top, soon entered. The lady
hastened to the barrel and threw her apron
over the top and captured the thief.

Prom my own observations and those of
others, the Red-headed Woodpecker, (M.
erythrocephalus ,) must be placed among
the egg-sucking birds . — Howard .Tones,

Gircleville, Ohio. O.&O, Vlll. July. 1883. p. ifc

Red-headed Woodpecker eating Grasshoppers. — Much has been
said in relation to the change in the habits of the Red-headed Woodpecker,
and the fact that he has been compelled, by the intrusion of other birds,
to such ordinary insects, instead of those which inhabit the outside and
inside of trees, has been noted by many observers. During the summer
of 1877 I saw one on the prairie, half a mile from the timber, very intently
bent upon catching grasshoppers ( Caloptenus spretus). The bird made a
fence-post his point of departure and return, flying off a few rods and
capturing his game, and then alighting on the post to devour it more at
leisure. These birds are apparently much less numerous in this region
than they were ten or twelve years ago. — Charles Aldrich, Webster ,
City, Iowa. ( Communicated by E. C.) Blll-1. N.O.Q. 3,Oct.> 1878, p. /™

%

Merkiam on Birds of Lewis County, New York. 123

77. Molothrus ater.

Hfrst plumage : female. Above olivaceous-brown, the primaries, secon-
dariesj'-gmater and middle coverts, and every feather upon the nape^and
interscapuLsr-rggion, edged with light sugar-brown. Superciliary line
and entire underjastg^elicate brownish-yellow. The throat and lower
area of abdomen immaculate ; everywhere else thickly streaked with
purplish -drab. From a specimen in, my cabinet taken at Cambridge,
Mass., August 4, 1875. A male in first plumage differs in being much
darker and more thickly streaked beneath. Specimens in process of
change into the autumnal plumage are curiously patched'and marked
with the light brown of the first plumage and the darker feathers of the.
fall dress. All the remiges and rectrices are moulted with the rest of the
first plumage during the first moult.

REMARKS ON SOME OF THE BIRDS OF LEWIS COUNTY,
NORTHERN NEW YORK.

BY C. HART MERRIAM.

{Continued from p. 56.)

Melanerpes erythrocephalus. Red-headed Woodpecker. — This
handsome bird, the most beautiful, to my eye, of all our Woodpeckers,
may be regarded as a common resident in Lewis County ; for since my
earliest recollection — and the bird has always been a favorite with me —
it has been plentiful throughout the entire year, excepting only during
those winters which followed unusually small yields of beechnuts.

Like the Yellow-bellied and Golden-winged Woodpeckers, and to a cer-
tain extent the Red-bellied also, it is generally considered a truly migra-
tory species wherever it occurs at all (in th'e Eastern Province) north of
the Southern States. In 1862 Dr. Coues gave it as a “ summer resident ” in
the District of Columbia, stating that it “ arrives in spring usually the
last week in April ; leaves about the middle of September.” * Turnbull
says (1869) that in East Pennsylvania and New Jersey it is “ plentiful,
arriving in the latter part of April, and departing in September or begin-
ning of October.” + Again, in 1868, Coues gives it as a “ rare summer
visitant ”J to New England, and De Kay tells us (1843) that it “ arrives in

* List of Birds ascertained to inhabit the District of Columbia. By Elliott
Coues and D. Webster Prentiss. From Smithsonian Report for 1861, 1862,
p. 403.

+ Birds of East Pennsylvania and New Jersey. By William P. Turnbull,
LL. D. Glasgow (Cuts), p. 15, 1869.

X Proceed. Essex Inst., Vol. V, p. 263, 1868.

(XjL yy^/<f. ‘*7* CuLM-

^ H. j^j- /Xar^jf AAjAaJjL *+r*JU

177. Beechnuts and Woodpeckers. By C. Hart Merriam, M. D. Ibid.,

XVII, Dec. I, 1881, p. 347. — A reply to several pseudonymous articles in
previous numbers of this journal (. Forest and Stream) in reference to the
Red-headed Woodpecker’s habit of eating beechnuts. Other notes on
the same subject, by various contributors, follow in this and succeeding
For, & Stream

numbers.

*w

,:V;

#<

725. An Unrecorded Habit of the Red-Headed Woodpecker. By
Howard Jones. Ibid., p. 56. — Robbing the nests of Cliff Swallows and
sucking Hen’s eggs ! Os Ss O.Vol.VW

196. [ Habits of] Red-headed Woodpeckers. By H. W. Merrill. Ibid.,

xviii, No. 5, p. 66, Feb. 23, 1882. For, Si Stream.

377 ' Red-headed XV oodpeckers. By A. H. Helme
Large numbers in the vicinity of Miller’s Place, L. I

1881. Q t 3sQ VQUYl'l

Ibfd \\ edke " ded Wo0d l’ eckers in Southern Conn. By j. M . Clark.

F - ^Xte,

Providence, R. I. , J uly 3S , l8 g 2 . ’ ' & £L* t j^ kland B each, near *

Ibid., p. 107. —
in the autumn of

Q>,«ad

The Oologist. 1576. Cannibalis

For. 3s Stream.

X*

345. Red-headed Woodpeckers [in connecLicui. ,.

Ibid.. VI, pp. 78, 79. ' —

206. Red-headed Woodpeckers in Maine. By Everett Smith. ^ Ibtd., : .. , Stream.

B ' A "5s8S!p J ff-

r

XVIII, No. 11. p. 208, April 13, 1882. — Their recent appearance in Maine.
179. Habits of Woodpeckers. By W. Beeke [and others]. Ibid.,

XVII, Dec. 15, 1881, p. 387. — In reference to their laying up stores of
beechnuts for winter use, particularly refers to the Red-headed Wood-
pecker. For, StraftSB

604. [The Red-headed Woodpecker^ 9 2 ’

Robber of other Bird's Nests.] By E. E. F[ish]- ^ i

Stall, Buf. Nat, Field Club. 1883 and a

note on a carnivorous propensity of the Red-headed Woodpecker, Mela-
nerpes erythrocephalus (p. 308), by Charles Aldrich.

Amer.NatarallertiB V«5t.X£.« Tn^i-

A pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers ( Melanerpcs erythrocephalus) have
bred in Agawam, near Springfield, this summer; this fact may not be
worthy of mention, but it is quite rare to find them here. — Robert O.

Morris, Springfield, Mass. / flyifc r VI. Oct, , 18 * 0 , 0 ! 3 H 0

Th© Oologist. 1617. A Murderous Red-headed Woodpecker. 13 y John A. Morclen,

Ibid., No. 6, June, 1889, p. 113. Auk, Vll. Jan. 1890 . p.

347. Red-headed Woodpeckers [at Hartford, Conn.). Bv Marry J . Q, <% y ,4 Q,

Gates. Ibid., VI, p- So.

The Oologist. 1600. A Large Set of Eggs of the Red-headed Woodpecker. By R. C.
McGregor. Ibid., p. 44.Ank.Yll. Jan. 1890 . p.VV.

^ /~ '£.0.3* i \ .... — 1,'tl . — . , •

tw*. - f. Q. . yttdc moo,*

.,Lu. For, 3s Stream. VQl. 38 t z / ■ s « V

Pickens OO. l 7- Melanerpes erythrocephalus. Red-headed Woodpecker. — A
So. Carolina, few were noticed in the Oolenoy Valley. They were mere^aburylant iu

the lower part o f the County away from the mountains. A nlr y?j '

771. Red-headed Woodpeckers. By Moses B. Griffing. Ibid., p. 95! * ’ "P" *'

—At Shelter Island, N. Y. O, & Q. Yoi a YIH

Records from Toronto. E. E, T. Seton-.

Red-bellied Woodpecker. Centurus carolinensis. — A
female was taken at Toronto, May 19 , 1885 .

Auk, 2, Oct., 1885, p.336

( 7 / /ff L </ 11 (A n ^

'Zy ^ IN. ■ / /

Z 7 <Lc>f ff, ^ol^a-cA {3-J-*<A<J r

>Vs~~ , fffr 76r

160. Centurus carolinus. Red-bellied Woodpecker. — Accidental
migrant. I have examined four specimens, a female, May 19, 1885, 2 a
male, May 24, 1890, in Mr. Maughan’s collection, and two taken November
27, 1899. 2 Auk, II, 1885, 335.

j Capture of the Red-bellied Woodpecker ( Centurus carol inus) in
j Eastern Massachusetts. — A female of this species was taken- by Mr.
! William Adair in a chestnut grove in Newton, November 25, 1880. The
male was seen and wounded but was not secured. — Gordon Plummer,
Boston. Mass. Buli>N>Q«0» Q, April* 1881. P« /£0

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A Second Massachusetts Specimen of the Red-bellied Wood-
pecker ( Centurus carolinus ). — At the establishment of Pertia W.
Aldrich, the well-known taxidermist, I have lately seen a freshlv-made
skin of a Red-bellied Woodpecker which Mr. Aldrich tells me was shot at
Cohasset, May 28, 1881, by a young son of Matthew Luce, Esq., of Boston.
The bird is an adult male in fine plumage. It is the second known Massa-
chusetts specimen, the first having been recorded in the last (April)
number of the Bulletin, by Gordon Plummer, Esq.— William Brewster,
Cambridge , Mass.

[Although the two specimens alluded to above are doubtless the only ones
thus far known to have been actually taken in Massachusetts it may be
well to call attention to two earlier records. In my “ Catalogue of Birds
found at Springfield, Mass.,” etc., published in 1864 (Proc. Essex Institute,
Vol. IV, pp. 48-98), I gave the species as a “Summer Visitant. Accidental” ;
and add: “ Saw one May 13th 1863” ( 1 . c., p. 53). I also cite Peabody
(Rep. on the Birds of Mass.) as stating that Professor Emmons had found
it breeding in Western Massachusetts. Whatever may be the weight of
the testimony last cited, I will take this opportunity of stating more fully
the instance I give on my own authority. The specimen was shot and
fell, but just as it reached the ground scaled off a few feet into a pile of
brush thickly overgrown with bushes, and a prolonged search, repeatedly
renewed on subsequent days, failed to discover the bird. Nothing in my'
ornithological experience ever made so deep an impression on my memory,
or gave me keener dissappointment, for I knew what a prize I had lost.
The species was then well known to me, and was as distinctly recognized
as it could have been had I had it actually in hand. A specimen of this
species has since been taken by Mr. E. I. Shores within five miles (at
Suffield, Conn, (see Merriam’s Birds of Conn., p. 65), of the locality
where my example was shot. — J. A. Allen.]

Bull. N.O.Q, ©.July, 1881, /S' 3

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Capture op Two Rare Birds in the Hudson River Valley. —

1. Centurus carolinus (Linne) Swainson. Red-bellied Woodpecker.

— I recently examined a handsomely mounted Woodpecker of this spe-
cies in the possession of Mr. Jas. S. Buchanan, of Newburgh, which was
taken at Cornwall, on the Hudson, in September, 1870.

fc/y ^ C, . 77, n.y

Bull, N. O.O, 3, July, 1878, p. .

Some Birds of Lewis Co, N. Y
C. Hart Morriam

Centurus carolinus. Red-bellied Woodpecker. — Mr. C. L.
Bagg has a mounted specimen of this Woodpecker, which he shot
here (Locust Grove, Lewis County) during the winter of 1871 -2.

Bull, N. 0.0. 4, J*n., 1879, p.6

Editor of O. & O.

Dear Sir,—

It is mine to report the occurrence, in this
vicinity of two rare birds.

The first, a Red- bellied Woodpecke r ( Cen-
turus carolinus ) Ridgw. 372, identified by Will
P. Chase and John P. Chase of this place, June
2nd, 1885.

The second, a Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Sphyrapicus varius ) Ridgwy 369, found with a
nest of four young in an orchard apple-tree,

June 5th, 1886.

These birds have never been taken in this
county, (to my knowledge) before or since the
dates given.

The avi-fauna of Orleans County is now' in
preparation and promises to show, when com-
pleted, the names of over two hundred well
authenticated birds.

°**0. v-.- Respectfully,

/O

, Auk, XII, July, 1895, p. 3 ) 3 .

Melanerpes carolinus. Red-bellied Woodpecker.- I saw one at
the taxidermist’s that was shot at North Collins, Erie Co., in October
i8 94- ’

Neil P. Posson.
p/^lledina, N. Y,

Dutcher, Rare Iionf? Island Birds.

Melanerpes carolinus. Red-bellied Woodpecker.— This specimen
was presented by the late Dr. H. F. Aten, of Brooklyn ; there are no data
connected with it. Mr. Akhurst states that during the period he was
actively collecting in the tract of timber referred to above, he saw several
specimens of M. carolinus, but for a great many years he has not found
any. The absence of the species probably arises from the fact that the
character of the country has been entirely changed by the cutting down of
the forestsand the occupation of the land by dwellings and streets.

Au: X. July, 1893 p 276-6.

A New Long fsland: 3 ^: V, ft'edol^o®’ tlPe’ Red-bellied Woodpecker

{Melanerpes carolinus ). — When visiting Mr. C. DuBois Wagstaff at Baby-
lon, N. Y., last fall, I noticed a well-mounted specimen of this southern
Woodpecker among a collection of local birds, and on inquiring the par-
ticulars of its capture, Mr. Wagstaff informed me that he shot it upon a
locust tree close to the house, a year or two after the war. A specimen
was shot by me in Flushing, N. Y., in October 1870, which 1 understood
was the second record for Long Island, N. Y., but this bird antedates my
specimen some years. The specimen in the collection of Mr. Geo. N.
Lawrence, which was taken at Raynor South by a Mr. Ward, was killed

man J years ago and was, I believe, the first record for this locality.

Robert B. Lawrence, New York City.

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-ej^jlatu^Jl L^e^e^c-c (> 2* l^JjvtLj s os?<ljz~jC~ i^LC' .

9. Melanerpes carolinus. Red-bellied Woodpecker. — “Of rare
and irregular occurrence. One recorded March 8, 1898.” Mr. Miller has
recorded also (Auk, IX, 201, 1892) taking a bird at Peterboro, Feb. 16, 1886.

$ 7 7 ^ )v*_<s^. <m . Auit, XX, July, i&03, p. ^ &> V,

PickeilB Oo* i8. Melanerpes caroiinus. Red-bellied Wood
So. Carolina, elevations seemingly preferred ; tolerably common.

Descriptions of First Plumage of Cor-
tai* North Am. Bbs, Wm. Br^ster.

97. Centurus carolinus.

First plumage : female. Crown dull ashy, each feather tipped broadly
with plumbeous ; nape with a narrow, inconspicuous collar of pale dull
brick-red. Rest of upper parts marked as in the adult, with, however, a
brownish tinge in the transverse white bands. Abdomen dull saffron ; rest
of under parts brownish-ashy, nearly every feather in a broad band across
the breast with a narrow, obscure shaft-streak * of purplish-brown. From
a specimen in my collection obtained by Mr. W. D. Scott, at Coalburgh,
W. Va., July 23, 1872.

* Several Woodpeckers, unmarked beneath in maturer stages, show a tendency
to spots or streaks upon the sides and breast when in first plumage.

Bull. N.O.O. 3 , Oct., 1878. p, /£/,

Elorida,

Suwanee River.
Mar«(,D-AprI , 1890 .

'^sSm5L i W l cJ

One of the commonest species throughout the heavy timber of
the bottom lands, but decreasing markedly in numbers as we ap-
proved the mouth of the river. In addition to the note,

this Woodpecker utters frwquently a long/, rattling cry which
closely resembles that of the Hairy Woodpecker. When mating one
or both sexes also utters a whicker note, very similar to that of
the Golden-winged Woodpecker

The Red-bellied Woodpecker.

(Oenturus carolmufi ) — (Lin) sw.

BY D. E. L., MANHATTAN, KAN.

In this part of Kansas four species of Picidae
are common and permanent residents. These
are the Downy, the Hairy, and the Red-bellied
Woodpecker and the Yellow-shafted Flicker. 1
The first and the last mentioned are more abund-
ant than the others. The Red-headed Wood-
pecker is a common Summer resident, rarely re-
maining later than Sept. 1. It is also a late arrival
in Spring migration. The Red-shafted Flickers :
( Colciptes auratus and liybriduts) are rather com- \
mon in Winter. The Pileated Woodpecker, al-
though common in more-lieavily timbered por-
tions of the State, is rare here, only two specimens !
having been observed in a residence of six years. ;
Of the Yellow-bellied Woodpecker but one
specimen has ever been observed in this locality.

There is so much uniformity in the breeding
habits of our Picidae that one would think there
is nothing new to learn. Yet I feel that I have ;
been amply repaid for the casual attention given :
to our common Centurm earolinus.. Knowing
that many of the readers of the O. and O. have
not had opportunities for an intimate acquaint-
ance with it, I take for their benefit, a few notes
from my records.

One of the first facts to be noted about our
western Woodpeckers is their familiarity and j
boldness even in the breeding season. None but !
the Hairy seem to have the retiring habits so
often noticed in the east. The Flicker, the Red-
headed, and the Downy Woodpeckers come into
the door-yards in the most thickly settled parts
of our towns, and excavate holes for their nests
in the decayed limbs of shade trees. The first
two frequently make holes in the cornices of
buildings, and rear their young under the same
roof that shelters us. Singularly enough, the
Red-bellied Woodpecker shares in this familiarity,
and receives the protection of those whom he
favors with his noisy company.

My first acquaintance with its nest was in 1882,
when I found a nest near the Big Blue river.
This nest was in a large Elm tree which grew in
an open space not far from a farm-house, and
near the edge of the timber. The excavation was
in a large dead limb, about twelve feet from the
ground. On climbing to it, I found three fresh
eggs, and left them for the full set which I found
to be five eggs. These were taken May 12. Dur-
ing last season I found about a dozen nests of
these species from which I collected several sets.
The nests present nothing new in choice of
position, being usually less Ilian twenty feet from
the ground. My earliest date for a full set was
May 10. On May 13 two. sets were taken, one of
four and the other of five eggs ; both were slight-
ly incubated. It was a great surprise to me to
learn how devoted this bird is to its nest. After
incubation lias commenced, no noise or distur-
bance is sufficient to drive the bird away. In
several cases it was neccessary to remove it by
force before the eggs could be secured. After
being robbed, it almost immediately begins the
excavations of a hole for a second set of eggs.
This is always in the vicinity of the first, often in
the same tree. Their attachment for their nests
is an additional trait of character which should
commend these birds to our protection. Besides,
the fact of its being a permanent resident and
thus an ever useful “ insecticide,” renders it one of
the most beneficial of the Picidae,

The eggs of this species are in size and general
appearance so much like those of the Red-headed
Woodpecker that they cannot be distinguished.
In making exchanges of Woodpecker’s eggs with
others, faith in the reliability of the collector is an
essential factor. O.&O. X. Jan. 1885. p.'o-//

A Crosse-billed Woodpecker.

BY W. F. .WEST, GREENSBURG, INK.

While out collecting one day this winter, j
shot a male Red-bellied Woodpecke r in normal
plumage, but with the mandibles of the bill
crossed. When the tips of the mandibles were
placed together, there would be a space of about
i inch between the upper and the lower.
This bird was in good shape, but it would seem
almost impossible for it to feed after the fash-
ion of woodpeckers.

~ “ .1888 p.95

W

Melanerpes carolinus Eating Oranges.— As corroborating Dr. Warren’s
account in his late report on the birds of Pennsylvania, it may be worth
while to state that when at Enterprise, Florida, in February, 1889 , I ob-
served a Red-bellied Woodpecker eating the pulp of a sweet orange’. He
flew down to the ground and, hopping along rather clumsily, approached
an orange, and for several minutes pecked at it in a slow deliberate way
When I showed myself he at once took flight, and sought shelter in the
dense foliage of the trees above. Upon examining the orange, I found
that it was decayed through the whole of one side. In the sound portion
were three holes, each nearly as large as a silver dollar, with narrow strips
of peel between them. The pulp had been eaten out quite to the middle
of the fruit. Small pieces of rind were thickly strewn about the spot
Upon searching closely I discovered several other oranges that h^d been
attacked in a similar manner. All were partially decayed, and were lying
on the ground. I was unable to find any on the trees which showed any
marks of the Woodpecker’s bill. The owner of this grove was surprised
when I called his attention to the above facts, which were quite new to
him. Nor had any of the other orange growers in the neighborhood any
knowledge of this orange-eating habit of the Red-bellied Woodpecker.—
William Brewster, Cambridge , Mass.

£ m k,vi.0ct., 188&.P. 337 - 33 %*

Orange {?©, Fla. D. Mortimer.

ISMdae of Michigan
Stewart E, White

Melanerpes carolinus. Red-bellied Woodpecker.

Possessing very full testimony regarding this bird’s habit of
eating oranges, as noticed with interest by Dr. Warren and Mr.
Brewster, I offer my observations made near Sanford. During-

to

February and March, 1SS9, while gathering fruit or pruning
orange trees, I frequently found oranges that had been riddled by
this Woodpecker, and repeatedly saw the bird at work. I never
observed it feeding upon fallen oranges. It helped itself freely
to sound fruit that still hung on the trees, and in some instances I
have found ten or twelve oranges on one tree that had been
tapped by it. Where an orange accidentally rested on a branch
in such a way as to make the flower end accessible from above or
from a horizontal direction the Woodpecker chose that spot, as
through it he could reach into all the sections of the fruit, and
when this was the case there was but one hole in the orange.
But usually there were many holes around it. It appeared that
after having once commenced on an orange, the Woodpecker
returned to the same one repeatedly until he had completely con-
sumed the pulp, and then he usually attacked another very near
to it. Thus I have found certain clusters in which every orange
had been bored, while all the others on the tree were untouched.
An old orange grower told me that the ‘ sapsuckers,’ as he called
them, never touch any but very ripe oranges and are troublesome
only to such growers as reserved their crops for the late market.
He also said that it is only within a very few years that they have
shown a taste for the fruit ; and I myself observed that, although
Red-bellies were very common in the neighborhood, only an
individual, or perhaps a pair, visited any one grove. In one
case a pair took up their station in a dead pine near a grove and
made excursions after the fruit at all hours of the day, being eas-
ily located by the noise they kept up. AUK, VII, Oot,

8- Bed-bellie d Woodpecker ( Melanerpes

carolinus). Common in the southern part of
the state, these birds reach nearly the limit of
their northern range in Kent County. As a
consequence, while not actually rare, their
numbers are so small that opportunities for
observation on their habits are necessarily few
and far between. In migration one can be
found occasionally inside the city limits when
his habits are much the same as those of the
Sapsucker. As summer residents they are
always in the depths of the woods, preferably
of a somewhat swampy character. They girdle
the trunks very much as the Yellow-bellied
does and in the proper season doubtless make
many a meal of sap. I have seen one insert
lus bill into the holes. They are very ex-
peditious in their movements; beginning on
the larger trunks, one thence proceeds to the
limbs and twigs, pausing every few moments
to arch his neck and give utterance to his shrill
rolling call. This, though not remarkably loud,
has great carrying power, and can be heard in
the remotest confines of the woods in which
they reside. The Red-bellied Woodpeckers
though southern in range appear to be more
hardy than some of their brothers; only the
severest w inters can drive them away, and
they are generally resident the year around.

O&O.XVI, April. 1801. p. d'S’

Eastern Massachusetts.

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1*1

History of Flicker's nest.

1S92 Mass.

July 7 Concord . The following are my condensed notes on the visits of
( No,.i2) of the old bird to the young:

July G

5. i3 P.M.- Male parent comes and feeds young. He tips
down 5 times in all. I cannot see young.

3.32 " Male arrives, tips down 7 times but several

of these contacts very brief.

3.55 " Male arrives, feeds young four times. Young

still hidden.

4.20 " Male arrives, sees me & flies away.

4.40 " Male returns and feeds 4 young^once each.

ti n -ti ii ii it ii ii

ti it * » it ii ti H ii

nN

July 7

and leaves

" takes alarm \\

9.32 A.M. Male arrives at nest & feeds 4 young.

9.55 " "
i0.25

Male

Male

t! 1!

I! tl

It tt

On his next return about ii A.H. I am sitting in ray coat di-
rectly under the nest. He remains in the tree until i2.20 .

calling & flitting or climbing about not daring to come to

nest. Finally he flies away & I leave also.

Copied from Journal.

M aasaonuseiits ,

1893.

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Colarites auratus

Concord,
1396 o

Apr .16.

Mass .

At about 7 A.M. a Flicker began to "shout" behind the
cabin but suddenly breaking off resumed in an unusual manner
giving the notes disconnectedly by twos with intervals of va-
rying length between the pairs. The varying direction of the
sound indicated that the bird was flying, and rushing to the
door we 'were just in time to see him cross the river and
meadow keeping up his interrupted shout until he alighted in
an oak on the opposite shore. I think that when he began
shouting he must have been perched in a tree on the crest of
Ball's Hill but this is assumption merely.

Neither Faxon nor I have ever heard a Flicker shout on
wing before, but Coonhloeus nileatus often does it.

C ambr i dg e , Ma s s .

C ol apt es auratus luteus .

January birds in the Garden.

The Flickers came into the garden every few days, either
singly or two birds in company. They ignored the suet but
after the middle of the month were frequently seen eating of
the abundant fruit of a Parkman's apple tree. I heard their
k i -u call several times but there has been neither "shouting"
nor drumming.

February birds in the Garden.

The Flickers have been almost unceasing in their atten-
February. tions to the Parkman's apple tree but they do not seem to have
perceptibly diminished its bountiful supply of fruit. This is
perhaps not to be wondered at since this little tree con-
tained, last Novenber , according to a computat ion made by
Walter at least 45,000 apples. These apples are scarce larger
than currants and the Flickers swallow them whole. A male
and a female or two males and a female have usually appeared
in company but once we saw two males together and on another
occasion a male and two females. Hence there must have been
at least four birds in all. They have been absolutely silent
during the whole month. On the morning of the 23th I saw a
pair hopping about together on a space of bare turf under the
elm over the driveway where a piece of suet hangs. They were
picking up something which I believe to have been fragments
of suet that had fallen from above but I could not make sure

1899.

January.

Colantes auratus luteus .

Cambridge, Ma s s .

1899. that this was the food they found.

February .

( No . 2 )

Nest in artificial box.

A male frequented The Garden during the whole month. On

April. the 5th he began working on the entrance of an artificial

nesting box which I had put up in an elm in the jungle. Af-
ter this date he frequently visited the box and pecked away
at the edges of the entrance hole which I finally (on the
14th ) enlarged for him. On the 15th he appeared at the box
accompanied by a female. After looking in and pecking the
edges of the hole for about 10 minutes the male entered. Soon
after this both birds flow away together.

I

Nest in artificial box.

May & June. a pair nested in a box, covered with bark and otherwise
made to resemble a stump, which I put up for them last month.

The male "shouted" through this month. He was frequently
seen sitting in the box looking out of the hole at the top.

The Sparrows repeatedly attempted to build in the box but the
Woodpeckers threw out their straws and finally laid eight
eggs, at just what date we do not know, but probably sometime
this month. None of the eggs hatched and the birds after in-
cubating them through June deserted the nest early in July.

(W. Deane's notes for May and June).

)o8

Colautes aura tug luteus .

Concord,
1899.
May 13.

Mass. Peculiar behavior .

Pound a Flicker at work excavating a hole in an apple
tree in Bensen's orchard!) this morning). I was passing the
tree within six feet when I heard a low tapping accompanied
by a continuous muffled whining sound. Turning I at once saw
the bird's tail projecting from the hole which was not over
five feet above the ground. For a minute or more the peck-
ing and whining continued, the tail wriggling violently the

in

while. Evidently the bird had carried the hole to just that
point where she had less room to work than she had had before
or would have afterwards. In other words she had just about
reached the point where the entrance hole must begin to be
expanded into a chamber and to turn downward. It seemed to
me that the whining sound expressed rage or impatience. Per**
haps it is the Flicker's form of swear ingl Unfortunately the
bird heard me as I was trying to start off a little way to
get behind the next apple tree and flew off in alarm. I had
to move away for had I stayed she would certainly have come
out of the hole with a mouthful of chips in the course of a
minute or two and discovered me. The male Flicker was "shout-

ing" about 200 yds. off.

1893. Penobscot Bay, Maine.

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During the same Win-
ter I also observed a Golden-winged Wood-
pecker {Gqlajytes auratus) several mornings
in succession feeding on the berries of the
mountain ash./

O. vn. faw, Ifrif-g. 13 V.

yty/rLtA jwvi*' ^

Birds of Upper St.

■o&tckeid&r.

John,

77. Colaptes auratus ( Linn .) Sw. Golden-winged Woodpecker.
— Rather common at Fort Fairfield. Not common at Grand Falls.

BulXN.O.G. 7, July, 1882, p.150

Birds ■within Ten Miles of Point
de Monts, Gan, Ooineau&Merriam

57. Colaptes auratus.

common summer resident.

Golden-winged Woodpecker.
First seen May 14, 1882.

A tolerably

Buli.N.0.0, 7 t Oot, X882, p # 237

Records from Toronto. B.E. T.Seton.

Colaptes auratus (hybrid with C. mexicanns) . — This remark-
able specimen was shot by Mr. Burton, just outside the City
of Toronto, in September, 1883. The following is its descrip-
tion.

Sex? Length, 34 cm. ; wing, 16.5 : tail, > 1.5 ; bill, 3.5 ; tarsus, 3 ; middle
toe and claw, 3. Color : Above as in the male auratus , but darker and
more pronounced. The purplish-gray of the throat is very rich and has
a glaucous gloss. Pectoral crescent and black maxillary mark very large.
Spots on the breast large and unusually numerous. Breast and sides
tinged with yellow. First four primaries with shafts and under side red ;
the next two shade into yellow in the terminal third. The last two sec-
ondaries are as in mexicanus. The rest of the quills as in auratus. The
under coverts are pink. The tail-feathers are as in mexicanus , but towards
the middle are more and more tinged with yellow. Otherwise this speci-
men resembles a large male aurat?is in very high plumage.

I have nothing but descriptions and my memory for making
comparisons with viexicanus , and suspect that the red on the
quills is not quite so deep as in the typical bird. Yet this need
not invalidate the description of the specimen, which is evidently
a fine hybrid, and chiefly remarkable for having been taken at
Toronto. This specimen is in the possession of Mr. Cross, taxi-
dermist.

Auk, 2, Oct., 1885. p.335

Last Dates Migratory B irds ol>ser vedby
B. D. Wintle, Fall 1885, Montreal, Can.

er,

‘Stjsjr.l it Golden-winged Woodpeck-j

O.&o. XI. Mar. 1886. p. -7V

Colaptes aur at us lut eus .

The Garden, Cambridge, ila tss.

1099. Flickers were seen or heard in the garden on the 5th,

October. 11th, 13th, 19th, 21st & 27th. On the last two .occasions a
pair appeared and visited the box which contained the nest
last spring both birds alighting on it at the same time, ut-
tering the low whickft£ -er note and putting their heads into
the hole but not entering it.

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Concord, Mass.

1898.

Oct. 4.

A Flicker shouting just before breakfast.

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Cambridge, Mass.

/y/c,

ch/r:

#

The only birds that have visited our place with any

iJui—

regularity this winter and the only ones I have seen there at all thus '
far in the present month are Flickers. Once I noted four and on sever-
al occasions three together but ordinarily there have been only one or

two seen at any one time. Their visits have been made oftenest in the

.

morning about eight or nine o'clock. For a time they contented them-
selves with feasting on the berries of our hackberry and Parkman apple

trees. About two weeks ago they began working on the trunks of two
large pear trees. After knocking off the loose scales of outer bark
they pecked and pushed at the inner bark until the cambium layer was
exposed in many places over spaces as large as the palm of one's hand.
All this was done in a leisurely and desultory way as if the birds
were merely amusing themselves which indeed I suspect was really the
lease for they did not seem to be obtaining anything in the way of food.
After they had done really serious damage to the trees ( one of which
is a sound and valuable seckel pear tree the other one old nearly
worthless tree) I protected the trunks from further injury by wrapping
them in burlap. A few days after this I heard the sounds of inter-
mittent tapping above my study in the Museum and every now and then a
lump of mortar fell into the fireplace from above. I think this hap-

A

ZJrJ'f.

pened yesterday (i3th)*
taking my opera glass,
chimney I perceived a %

Cambridge, Mass.

To~day it began again and I at once went out
As soon as I got a clear view of the Museum
Flicker clinging to its eastern face about

I five feet below the top busily engaged in digging out the mortar between,
the bricks. He would work at it for half a minute or so alternately
poking and prying with his bill and then rest for a somewhat longer
period before b<- ginning again. I watched him for ten or fifteen minute^

More than once I thought I saw him swallow a small fragment of the hard

.

mortar — it is years since the chimney was re~pointed — but of this I
could not make sure. That he had already done considerable damage was
evident enough for with the aid of my glass I could see that the lines
of “pointing" were broken in many places by the recent removal of more
or less mortar. He must have been working at the mortar capping on the
top of the chimney when he sent the fragments down into my fireplace but
that I did not see. Verily "the devil finds mischief for idle hands
{and bills) to do". Holand Thaxter told me this evening (February 16.)

I of watching a Flicker picking out mortar from the vertical face of the
brick wall of the Museum of Comparative Zoology within a few feet of his
window. I understood him to say that this happened within the past two
i or three days. He was so very near the bird that he could see without

bz&ri-Cij

ns

Cambridge Mass.

ydr/c

any possibility of mistake that it ate small pieces of the mortar. 1

was very sure that my bird was doing the same thing (on the I4th).

'

It would be interesting to know whether the mortar is eaten for the

sake of the lime it contains or as a substitute for gravel which may

.

be rather difficult to obtain now that the ground is largely covered
with snow.

I noticed this morning that quantities of fresh earth

had been thrown out from between the stone flags in the walk in front

'

of the Museum in our garden and I wondered what could have done it.

a KJu Jl—

^LcxXCt*-

CtSViJH/

The mystery was quickly explained for early in the afternoon I saw a
Flicker busily engaged at the walk. Hopping slowly along sideways on
the flags he made a dozen or more holes while I was watching him in
the earth between them. Iu was packed hard on the surface and he had
to peck vigorously at first to make any impression it. The cracks
were narrow (not more than l/4 inch wide) in places and more than oncg_
he missed his aim and struck his bill forcibly against the edge of a
stone making an audible sound. After making these holes he visited
and revisited them and others which he had made previously spending
some time at each of them and extracted from some of them a quantity
of food which I could see him swallow although I could not make out

Cambridge Mass,

J^°9' | at first what it was

But after he had gone I examined the holes

which averaged an inch or more in depth finding that most of them con-

tained living ants that had fallen in and were unable to climb up the
crumbling sides. Evidently the bird dug the holes not so much to get
at the ants (I did not see him get any of them immediately and he in-
variably moved on and began a fresh hole just after completeing one)

as to entrap then. They were continually running about over the sur-
face of the flags in numbers but he paid no attention whatever to
those thus engaged, ' When he revisites the holes he did not throw out
more earth but simply thrust his bill down slowly into them swallowing
visibly as he removed it.

A Flicker on our lawn this morning attracted my attention.

by remaining perfectly immoveable for many minutes. At length

towards him. As I approached he gave no sign that he was aware of my
presence. Even when I got within a yard of him he continued to main-
tain his statuesque pose. His breathing seemed normal and his eyes

looked bright and alert but his gaze was directed toward some distant

object I know not what and he completely ignored me. Although I could detect
no evidence of any external injury I felt sure he must be either seri-

Cambridge Mass,

£

, ously hurt or very ill until I advanced my foot. When it vras within

/f 1

six inches of him he started as if awakening from a trance and flew up
into one of the lindens. After this he behaved like a perfectly sane
and vigorous Flicker. I am at a loss to explain his behaviour on the

lawn. He seemed to be indulging in a very profound day dream.

T~

< 3 -,

m

Ornithological Trip to St.Brnno,P. Q-.
May 25, 1885. B. D. Wintle, Montreal.

''Golden-winged Woodpecker. Only saw one,

O.&O. XI. May. 1680. p. '

Summer Birds Of Bras D’ Or Region
Cape Breton Id, , N . S. J. Dwight, Jr.

2i. Colaptes auratus.

Auk, 4, Jan., 1887. p.l®

New Species of Winter Birds in New Brunswick. — On January 4 of
the present year a Flicker (Colaptes auratus ) was taken near St. John, N.

/7'2^'hAo. ydt.s <£ f , ,> 77. £5 •

Auk, 4, July 1887. p. Abty .

Birds, Haute Island, Bay of Fundy, July
26, 1887. W.L. Bishop, Kentvule, JS . 0 .

Golden-wing Woodpecker, Colaptes auratus ;

rare.

O.& O. XII. Sept. 1887 p.I4Q

Breeding Dates of Birds in Kings
County, N.S. Watson L. Bishop.

Flicker

18 .

( Colaptes auratus). J une 1; 2> ^ ^ ^

O.& O. XIII. Mar. 1888 p.45

BummerBds. Bsstigouche Valley, N.B,
July, *88. J. Brittain and P. Cox Jr.

Colaptes auratus. Flicker.— Common around fields.

Auk, VI. April. 1889. p-1T7

Birds of Magdalen islands.

Dr. L.B.BMwp

l 3 ands. COlaPteS 3UratUS ' Flicker - Common , breeding on all the

Aok. VI. April, 1880. p. 147

Summer Birds of Sudbury, Ont.
A. B,. Alherger,

412 . Golden-shafted Flicker. Common.
Breeds.

1300, p ? 87

Dwight, Summer Birds of
Prince Bdward island,

Colaptes auratus. Flicker.— The only abundant Woodpecker, and
found everywhere in moderate numbers. June 25, a nest with fully fledged
young was examined in the top of a hollow fence post. No excavation
had been made by the bird, and the young were entirely exposed to the
weather.

Auk X, Jan, 1893, p> ^ ^

KiSS^jSlV Tri ?

’ " iofapt. 24, 1899,

30. Colaptes auratus. Flicker. — One seen September 9.

Louie H, Porter, New York City.
Auk, XVII, Jan., 1900, p,

The Flicker Wintering in Montreal. — On January 14, 1900, while walk-
ing with a friend along the woods at the foot of Mount Royal, I was
surprised to see a Golden-winged Woodpecker ( Colaptes auratus ) fly
from a tree within a few feet of us ; it alighted on a sumac near by and
began to feed on the seeds. We had a good view of it for a short time,
until it flew into some low bushes and disappeared.

We saw one near the top of Mount Royal on November 25, 1899, which
was, perhaps, the same bird, this being an unusually late date for its
occurrence. The winter here has been milder than usual, but I have

nevei heaid before, even in mild seasons, of C. auratus wintering so far
north. — J. B. Williams, Mon t reaL Can.

Auk, XVII, April, 1900, p

• V, ^

iS d f ^JL xx

22. Colaptes auratus luteus. Northern Flicker. Rather com
mon about the less thickly timbered land.

^ </y.

, V, ,<?oj r A

161. Colaptes auratus luteus. Northern Flicker. — Summer resi-
dent, common, April 7 to October 24; breeds in all suitable places. Rare
winter resident (January 28, 1905; February 3, 1906). Two of the so-
called hybrid flickers have been taken here; one is in the collection of Mr.
Ernest Seton, 3 the other is in the collection of Mr. Geo. E. Atkinson.

JCLJL'Jl, /?$f, 3ZS'

</T>.

But the most interesting result of the mild season was the wintering of
Colaptes auratus. As a rule this species withdraws very early in Novem-
ber, although my brother saw a straggler on November 13, 1881. t Yet
while most of the birds disappeared in the autumn of 1888 about the usual
time, I saw a single individual (perhaps the same one) almost every day-
up to December 18. After that date I met with no more until January 1,
1889, when I found a bird feeding on the berries of a mountain-ash tree
within the City limits. A friend reported one on Cape Elizabeth on
January 3, and Mr. Luther Redlon, of Portland, an accurate observer of
birds, saw one in the Portland ‘Oaks’ on February 10. I met with one
again on February 16, and also on the 2Sth of the same month. From
the latter date up to March 1, not a day passed without my meeting with
one. It may be worth while to note that all the birds seen after the first
of November were males. So far as I am aware the Flicker has not be-
fore been known to winter in Maine, though Mr. Everett Smith has re-
corded J the capture of a single bird at Fort Popham, in January, 1885.—
John Clifford Brown, Portland, Maine.
t See Proc. Port. Soc. Nat. Hist., Dec., 1882. July, 1880, p. <2^7-

+ Forest and Stream, February 5, 1885.

SnmmerResIdents on South-west
Coast of Maine. T.H, Montgomery, Jr.,

412 . Flicker. This was the only Wood-
| pecker I saw, and I noticed but four or five at
Bootlibay.

&aadO, XSc Wot* 1890, p.iai

W

m

ti

Bds. Obs. in Franconia, N.H. June 11-21
'86, and June4-Aug. 1,’87. W. Faxon

io. Colaptes auratus. Golden-winged Woodpecker. — Rather com-
mon.

Auk, V. April, 1888. p .151

at Franconia and Bethlehem
N.H. July- August, 1874 . W. ffasoa .

J? . a . OdLtznS,

6. Colaptes auratus. But few seen.

Auk, V. April, 1888. p.164

Birds Obs. at Bridgewater, N.H.
July 12 -Sept. 4, 1883. F.H. Allan

Colaptes auratus. — Quite common.

Auk, VI. Jan., 1889. p. 76

Birds Oba. at Moulton boro, N.H.
duly 21 -Aug. 11, 1883. F.H. Allen

Colaptes auratus. — Quite common.

Auk, VI. JaU. , 1889. p. 78

Barly Arrivals.

A. Farmer. Amoskeag, N. Hj

] March 8, Flicker (Colaptes auratus). A.

Farmer. Amoskeag, N. Ii.

0.& O.Vol. 17, April 1802 p. 62

1898.

a

nu l

l 3, 5 -'

ftw A z- 3* 9i 7

\ Breezy Point, Warren, N.H.

| 1894.

m *r- 3o^

Breezy Point, Warren, N.H.

Yellow-sliafted Flick er, ( Colaptes aura-
tus). Abundant. Summer resident. Breeds.

Arrives in April. A few remian until Oct.

In this region they are often called Grass-
^ ^ hopper Woodpeckers, from their well-
* known habit of congregating in open fields,
O ~f? where grasshoppers abound, before the
autumn migration. I once saw two female
Flickers, each of them trying to gain the
attentions of a male, who seemed com-
pletely overwhelmed by such an outpour-
■ ing of caresses. If he attempted to notice
| ’one, the other immediately interfered. I
^ hwatclied them for an hour, and left them
^ v* with their interesting and ludicrous cere-
mony still progressing. — C.O. T.

Summer Bds,Mt. Mansfield, Vt.

14. * Colaptes auratus luteus. Northern Flicker. Common.

by Arthur H. Howeii. Auk, XVIII, Oct., 1901, p, 3 J //.

Vvw> . C . A-G 6^3 vj , Uc~ ■

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Great Id. Mass. De6 . 1.888,, *

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W. Middlesex Co. Mass.

June 25-30, 1889,

C ' ? r. /’. l-t../

One at '^est Townsend; common about Ashby. S e veral seen
inn the pastures on the side of Mt. Watatic where they frequent-
ed the thickly-growing young black spruces. Those observed in the
1 at te r '^h-i-eket seemed to be young birds. They frequently start-
ed either -ern^the ground or among the branches of the spruces within

QA

it n

A

Birds Known to Pass Breeding Season
nr. Winohendon, Mass. Wm. Brewster

18. Colaptes auratus. I

Auk, V, Oct,, 1888. p. 389

Notes from Belchertown, M ass.

J. W. Jackson

Dec. 26, Jan. 24, noted Yellow-shafted
Flickers.

O.&O.V 0 I.I 8 , Mar. 1893 P.45

ilfaverly, Mass

January

A

II ( Waver ly and Wal tliam )-«■

Walter Faxon (letter January 12, 1091).

Birds of Bristol County, Mass.
F. W. Andros.

Colaptes auratus (Linn.) Flicker. Resident,
common. Breeds.

O.&O. XII, Sept. 1887 p.139

Bds. Obs. near Sheffield, Berkshire
Oy, Mass. June 17-26, '88. V/. Faxon

IO. Colaptes auratus. Golden-winged Woodpecker.— Common

Auk, VI. Jan. , 1B60. P. 44

Bds. Obs. near Grayloc - "T- Be' Vs hire
Oo. Mass. June28- Ju yl i. W.Fa^.on

8 Colaptes auratus. Golden- winged Woodpecker. - Common

about the base of the mountains and in the Notch. Also found on Gray-
lock at an elevation of about 2800 feet, but at this altitude Dryobates v,l-
losus the commonest Woodpecker.

Auk, VI. April, 1889. p.99

fy > I & /- V A ^ 4

20 - 3 /-

A Winter Record for the Flicker ( Colaptes auratus luteus) in Berkshire
County. — In ‘ The Birds of Berkshire County,’ by Dr. W. Faxon and Mr.
R. Hoffmann, the latest autumn date for this species is given as October 24,
and the earliest spring record as April 10. We observed at Williamstown
on December 12, 1900, a single bird which may have been wintering, and
on April 6, 1901, the first Flicker arrived. — Francis G. and MaiiriceC.
Blake, Brookline, Mass. Auk, XIX, April., 1902, p , /"??.

'JlxrGo

V

Colaptes auratus luteus. Noticeably uncommon ; only nine birds were
observed during our stay.

f ^V\a CW1/3 ,
Mik, XIX, Oct., 1902, ,hoH ■

Connecticut, June. 1893,

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winged Woodpecker s were seen.

O.&O. vni.Jfcn.l883.p f

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2ic. 25th, Golden W inged | W oodpecker

76. Xx/f. QrtZ&c^el'7‘ r * l ~'-

O.&O. Vni. Apt. 1883. p VI.

/2f

Birds observed in Naval Hospital
Grounds. Brooklyn, a. H, Oouaa

8. Colaptes auratus. Golden-winged Woodpecker. — Common ;
breeds.

Bu&N.Q.O. 4,Jan. > 1879, p.Sl

Notes on Sene Winter Residents of
Hudson V alley, El* A.Mearus.

Colaptes auratus. YIZl'ow-SHAFTed Flicker. — The “ Hwh-
>oI< is occasional, but of somewhat rare occurrence, in winter, in die
Highlands and at Peekskill. Mr. Bicknell speaks of it as “rare in win-
ter ; only occasionally seen at that season.”

Bull. N. O.O. 4, Jan. , 1879, p. 37

Li

Colaptes auratus. - On October 4, 1879, 1 took, at Fort Hamilton, a
remarkable Golden-winged Woodpecker. It strongly evinces its affinity
to C. mexicanus. Its black mustaches are sprinkled with red feathers.
These are most plentiful along the upper edge, and at the lower end of
the black cheek patch. The back is more strongly tinged with olive, is of
a darker shade, and the black bars are much narrower than in ordinary
individuals of C. auratus. The bird was a male. — De L. Berier Fort
Hamilton, Long island, N. Y. BuJ1 N< 0>c> 5 _ Jan< , 1QQQ p< ^

Birds of the Adirondack Region.

C.H.Merriaia.

109. Colaptes auratus (. Linn .) Swainson. Golden- winged Wood-
pecker. — Rare.

Bull. N.O.O, ©,Oct, 1881, p, 232

248

General Notes.

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f A*

yiAciAudi 1 l 3, l

This winter, January 30 (just after a fierce
blizzard lasting four days), I saw a Yellow-shafted
Woodpecke r. This is the first time I have ever ob-
served one of these birds here in winter. In spring
they generally arrive here between the 10th and 20th
ot April. 1 have one instance noted, when they ar.

rived March 10, 1873.

Most respectfully yours,

I). D. Stone.

«l

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Birds observed in Naval Hospital
Grounds. Brooklyn, a. H, Oouas

8. Colaptes auratus. Golden-winged Woodpecker. — Common ;
breeds.

Ball* N. 0 , 0 , 4, Jan. , 1870, p. 31

Notes on Soaae Winter Residents of

Hudson Valley, B.A.Mearoa.

. . 16 '„ Cola P tes auratus. Yellow-shafted Flicker. — The « Ili,,},

,S /° Ca f 0n f; bUt ° f S ° mCwhat rarc occurrence, in winter, in die
Highlands and at Peckskill. Mr. Bicknell speaks of it as “rare in win-
ter , only occasionally seen at that season.”

Boll. N. 0.0. 4, Jan. , 1879, p. 37

Xh A*

Colaptes auratus. - On October 4, 1879, 1 took, at Fort Hamilton, a
remarkable Golden-winged Woodpecker. It strongly evinces its affinity
to C. mexicanus. Its black mustaches are sprinkled with red feathers.
These are most plentiful along the upper edge, and at the lower end of
the black cheek patch. The back is more strongly tinged with olive is of
a darker shade, and the black bars are much narrower than in ordinary
individuals of C. auratus. The bird was a male. — De L. Berier Fort
Hamilton, Long Island, JV. K t, ,,

J ’ Bua N.O.O. 5, Jan,, 1880, p,

Birds of the Adirondack Region.

C. H.Merriam.

109. Colaptes auratus {Linn.') Szvainson. Golden- winged Wood-
pecker. — Rare.

Bull, N,0.0# a,Oct, 1881, p, 232

Colaptes auratus -f- C. mexicanus. — Quite a number of instances
of specimens of Colaptes auratus showing traces of C. mexicanus coming
to my knowledge, I have thought it worth the while to record them. In
this Bulletin, Vol. V, No. i, p. 46, I noted the capture of one of these
abnormal individuals by myself at Fort Hamilton. Its black mustaches
were sprinkled with red feathers, and its back was different from that of
ordinary auratus , the black bars being very narrow, and the ground color
more of a brownish-olive, nearly corresponding to Audubon’s Plate of C.
ay rest (Birds of America, Vol. VII). Last autumn (1880) I shot two
more “ Ilighholders” having a few red feathers intermixed with the black
cheek patches. These are all the cases of this curious variation that have
come under my personal observation, but Messrs. Bell and Wallace of
New York furnish me with some valuable notes on the subject. Mr. Bell
tells me he has had several such in his many years of experience as
a taxidermist. He remembers one in particular which was remarkable
for the deep salmon color of the parts which are golden-yellow in normal
auratus. Nearly half of each of the maxillary patches of this specimen
was red. It was shot in Orange Co., N. Y., or in some adjacent county.
Mr. Wallace also says he has had a number of these varieties, and among
them the strangest case of differentiation I have yet heard of. A few years
ago a Colaptes was brought to him, one side of which was auratus and
the other yiexica?ius. That is, one of the mustaches was black and the
other red, and the quills and under surfaces of wings and tail on the cor-
responding. sides were respectively yellow and red.

Mr. Ridgway, in this Bulletin, Vol. VI, No. 2, p. 121, says that of two
hundred aurati taken in the vicinity of Mount Carmel, 111 ., which he had
examined, he detected only one aberrant specimen showing any trace of
mexicanus. As out of thirty shot last fall at Fort Hamilton and examined
by me two showed this variation, it may be that these mixed forms are more
plentiful in the Atlantic States than in the interior. In view of the num-
ber of known instances of these “half-breeds” occurring in the East we
need not be surprised if some cis-Alleghany collector yet takes a pure
mexicanus. — De L. Berier, Fort Hamilton , Long Island, N. T.

Ball. N.O.O, Q, Oct, 1881, p, X 7 ■

1 £•

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April 25 to 30.

Flicker. Tolerably common.

E. A. Sterling, Brooklyn, Psu

Auk, XIX, July, 1902, p.298.

ft!

Descriptions of First Plumage of Cer-
tain North Am. Bbs. Wm. Brewster,

98. Colaptes auratus.

First plumage : male. Crown washed with dull red ; nuchal band dull
scarlet. Otherwise similar to the adult, but with the throat tinged with
ash and the spots upon the under parts dusky instead of black. ^ From a
specimen in my collection taken at Cambridge, Mass., July 6, 1873.

The female in first plumage I have not seen, but two young females
before me, which have nearly perfected their autumnal plumage have
each a well-defined mustache, - not black, however, as m the male ot any
acre but of a dark plumbeous color. Upon raising the feathers, many of
them are found to be nearly black at their bases, and a few entirely black
ones appear. I have seen two other females, both young birds m imper-
fect autumnal dress, which had similar dark mustaches. It seems not
unlikely that many females of this species may in first plumage he marked
nearly like the males. Bull. N.O.C. 3, Oct,, 1878, p.

Albinism and Melanism in North
American Birds* Buthven Deane,

C. auratus is the only example A among the Picidce that
has come under my notice.

B«1L N.O.O. l.Ajpti. 1876, p.22

Albinism and Melanism in North
American Birds. Ruthven I> ano.

, Colap-ies auratus, ^ tS-*

Bnli. N.O.C. 1, April, 1876, p. 24

Albinistic Plumages. R. Deane.

A Golden-winged Woodpecker, which I obtained
from a dealer in Providence, R. I., and which was shot near that city,
is a beautiful specimen, the red nuchal patch and the golden shafts
of the feathers of the wings and tail being the only normal colors
remaining, the rest of the plumage being a creamy white.

Bull N.O.O# 5 | 1880, p »28

Article XXI.— On the Color- Pattern of the Upper Tail-Coverts
in Colaptes auratus. By Frank M. Chapman.

Several years ago my attention was attracted by the wide range
of variation shown in the color-pattern or pictura of the uppei
tail-coverts of Colaptes auratus. Until the present time material
to study this variation has not been available. Dr. Allen now
places at my disposal the fine series of Colaptes which, through
the assistance of fellow-naturalists, he has brought together for
use in another connection. The variation in question occurs m
all of the upper tail-coverts, and its nature may be understood by
reference to the accompanying plate (p. 314) in which are figured
the middle coverts alone. Figs. 1 and 2 represent the first stages
in a series of patterns which terminate in Fig. 15. With few
exceptions birds in first plumage agree with Figs. 1 or 2, which
represent the amount of variation at one stage. Subsequent
changes are apparently accomplished by the moult, and one
moult may carry a bird through one or all of the stages figured.
For example : No. 103,072 of the U. S. Nat. Mus. Collection
(Warren Creek, Col., ? , Dec. 26, F. Ball) has nearly completed
its adult plumage, but there remains of the first plumage one of
the long upper tail-coverts intermediate in pattern between Figs.
1 and 2, while the corresponding feather of the new plumage
agrees very nearly with Fig. 12. Other examples in a similar
stage of plumage show, as has been said, that the change from a
barred to a longitudinally-marked feather is accomplished by one
or more moults. The large proportion, however,— one-third— of
adult birds agreeing with Figs. 1 or 2, and the frequency of intei-
mediate phases, indicate a more or less regular advance by
successive moults to the final stage. While in transition the
smaller and more anterior coverts are as a rule slightly in advance
of the ones posterior to them. The longest and most posterior
feather, therefore, is the last to be affected, and the final result
has not been achieved until this feather agrees with the ones
before it ; for this reason it has been selected to represent the
upper tail-coverts as a whole. The lower tail-coverts pass
through a somewhat similar series of changes, which to a certain
extent correlate with those presented by the upper tail-coverts.

[31 1]

\

Auk, XIV, July, 1897, - S .

SOME ABNORMAL COLOR MARKINGS.

BY GERRIT S. MILLER, JR.

Many instances of albinism, melanism, and other abnormal
color conditions in birds have been recorded, 1 but these records
are for the most part concerned with cases in which large, con-
spicuous, and indefinite areas of the plumage are affected. While
such abnormalities are interesting they are greatly outweighed in
importance by others, usually of a less noticeable character, in
which the unusual markings are so arranged as to resemble normal
color patterns. Suggestions of characters of related species are
often to be found in these symmetrical markings, some of which
might be regarded as the result of hybridism did not the well
known hypothesis of atavism offer a more satisfactory explanation
of their occurrence. I wish to call attention to a few of the more
conspicuous among the many cases of this kind that have come to
my notice.

Colaptes auratus {Linn.). pp- Z7i~6-

An adult Flicker (No. 5619, Miller collection, purchased many
years ago in the New York markets by J. G. Bell), normal in

every other way, has all the white feathers of the rump marked
subterminally with round or subcordate spots of black. The
larger feathers of the rump are in addition crossed or nearly
crossed by from one to three black bars, each of which tends to
narrow near the shaft so that occasionally the constriction divides
the bar into two distinct spots.

In the Cuban Colaptes chrysocaulosus the color is similar to that
of C. auratus except that it is everywhere strongly suffused with
tawny, the black markings are more extended, and the feathers
of the white rump patch are closely and irregularly barred with
black. Each rump feather in this species has a subterminal
broadly cordate black spot extending nearly across both webs.
Usually a broad black bar and sometimes a second (the latter
always indistinct) crosses the feather below the terminal spot.
The proximal bars tend to narrow near the shafts of the feathers,
but they seldom if ever break up into pairs of spots as in the
abnormal C. auratus.

The peculiarities of its rump markings make No. 5619 an almost
perfect intermediate between Colaptes auratus and C. chrysocaulosus.
Did the breeding ranges of these two species overlap this speci-
men would probably be considered by many a hybrid, since
so-called hybrids often blend the characters of their supposed
parents no more perfectly than this Flicker does the peculiarities
of the Continental bird and its Cuban representative.

'See, for instance, Deane, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, I, pp. 20-24, IV, pp.
27-30; Brewster, Auk, XII, pp. 99-100; Toppan, Bull. Ridgway Orn. Club,
No. 2, pp. 61-77.

The Singing of Birds. E.P.Bicknell.

Colaptes auratus. Golden-winged Woodpecker.

The well-known High-hole has, for a Woodpecker, a very varied
repertoire. Its long rolling call may be taken as especially repre-
sentative of song, and is a characteristic sound of the empty
woodland of early spring. It is usually given from some high
perch, and has a free, far-reaching quality, that gives it the effect
of a signal thrown out over the barren country, as if to arouse
sleeping nature. This call continues irregularly through the
summer, but then loses much of its prominence amid the multi-
tude of bird voices. It is not infrequent in September, but later
than the middle of October I have not heard it.

Another vocal acquirement of the Higli-hole is a sound much
like that caused by the whetting of a scythe. These notes I have
recorded from April 8 to September 5 ; but there seems to be no
seasonal regularity about their utterance. The species has also
some singular, conversational-like tones, and other notes, which
are usually uttered when the birds are in company, and are
sometimes attended with a great show of bowing and obsequious
conduct.

It is hardly necessary to allude to the familiar call-cry of the
species, which may well have conferred the name Clape which
the bird bears in certain sections.

In the breeding season the High-hole seems to be quieter than
either before or after, perhaps from considerations of caution.

Auk, 2, JUly, 1885. p. Z - Z 6 O ,

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Notes on Nesting-sites of the Golden-winged Woodpecker.

— About May 1 of this year I noticed some Golden-wings ( Colaptes aura-
tus) very busy around the shed of an old brick-kiln, although there were
no trees near. On visiting it I found they had enlarged two auger-holes
in a large, decayed spruce post, and were trying to nest there; but so many
people cross the yard every day, they will probably be driven away. I
have frequently noticed what a correspondent mentions in a late number of
' the Bulletin (Vol. V, p. 56) regarding Golden-wings enlarging natural
cavities. I have seen them dig two inches through the hard shell of a
seasoned ash stub to get to a hollow which showed through a crack, the
existence of which they must have perceived; they apparently bored
through to it to save the labor of making the whole excavation in solid
wood. — M anly Habdy, Brewer, Ate. Bull. N.O.Q* 5, Oct,, I880,p. ZHf

On the first of June, 1882, while passing an old orchard,

I sa w a hole in an apple tree. As I drew near it, a bill stuck
out, then out went an old Yellow-shafted Flicke r. ( Colaptes
auratus,) into a neighboring tree. I was not long getting
up to the hole, but when I got there I had to whittle away
with my jackknife until I could reach the bottom, where I

found six eggs. I took them ; in about a week I passed the
orchard again, and, seeing the bird fly out of the hole, I got
up to it, and found six more. Then, just for the curiosity
of knowing how many eggs she would lay, I continued to
visit the nest. At last, I suppose she thought I was a little
selfish, and so gave up the nest, leaving me with twenty-
seven eggs.

H . /row*,, J/v&v

O.&O. IX. Mar. 1884. p. 3C.

May 20—1 found a remarkably low nest of the Yellow-
shafted Flicker, [Colaptes auratus), in a maple stump. The
! hokTwasTess than three feet from the ground and the
| bottom of the nest measured one foot eleven inches from
the entrance. It contained tef! eggs.

/{/C-CoH •

O.&o. IX. Dec. 1884. p./#

Continued Laying of the Flicker. May 6, ’SB, I dis-
covered in a hole two eggs of the Golden-winged Wood-
pecker. I took one, leaving the other as a nest egg, and
continued to do so day after day, until she had laid seven-
ty-one eggs. The bird rested one day when she had laid
thirty-six eggs, and another when she had laid fifty-three
eggs, thus taking her seventy-three days to lay the seventy-
one eggs. I have the whole set in my collection. Has any
one ever heard of as large a number of eggs being taken
from one bird ?

(p.+fr

CjUn. L

Egg-laying extraordinary in Colaptes auratus.-On May 6th. 1883, I

one eggs. I think this is something' veiy from one bird, but this

heard of from fiiteen to wen y g complete, in my cabinet,

is a large number comparatively. I have tne 1

and prize it very highly. ‘Young Oologist’, Vol.

Thi. ... pMM l» * “•".Ci'tl.p.r i. «•

I, No. 2, 1884; but it being ara f or publication. — /•

general public, I concluded to send it 1887. »• <5 1 **

Charles L. Phillips, Taunton, Mass. AHA, 1

set of four Y ellow-shafted Flick er, all
spotted with dull red ; /O fj. Ot&a&roly,.

O.&o. V1U. Dec. 1883. p. t<>

Pfeld ae of Michigan
Stewart E, White

9. Golden-winged Woodpecker ( Colaptes
auratus). As is well attested by tlie variety of
names they bear, these share with the Red-
heads the honor of being the best known.
They are abundant and well distributed, and
in some portions are residents during mild
winters. In that season they go in bands of
ten or a dozen foraging the country in all di-
rections for enough food to keep them alive.
As spring approaches their numbers increase,
until by the first of May they are to he met with
at every turn. As the season of nesting draws
near the antics of the amorous males take a
very amusing turn. See yonder coy maiden
perched near, the top of an old dead stub.
Two gallants, the rivals for her affections, are
earnestly striving to gain her attention ; each
flies around and around the object of his de-
votion screaming “to whit, to whit, to whit,
to whit, to whit, to !! ” Suddenly one alights on
the trunk below the fair lady, hopping rapidly
up and down, quirking his head comically
from side to side. The other, jealous at the
first’s success, dashes at him with great fury,
drives him from his vantage and takes up the
position himself. So the affair goes on until,
after many fierce battles, the female signifies
tier preference, and in company with the

successful swain, sets up housekeeping. She is
very fastidious in the choice of a location and
during its selection leads her poor husband a
pretty life. After digging in here a few inches
she informs him that the wood is too soft;
there it is too hard; on this side the situation
is too exposed, on the other it is unhandy. At
last she settles on one spot and both set to
work. For a week the chips fly in all direc-
tions, and at the end of that lime the labors of
incubation commence. It is well known that
although madam is very particular in her first
choice of a site, yet after once deciding she is
very loth to leave it, suffering repeated rob-
beries without complaint. I11 due time the
young Flickers emerge from the shells and at
a very early age leave the hole, perching
around on the branches until able to fly.

The Iligh-hole’s flight is easy and graceful
and has an elastic freedom that is delightful
to behold. They procure their food in the
usual manner by hopping up the trunks of
trees, besides which they often search on the
ground and are sometimes in the fruit trees.

Their well-known cries consist of a single
harsh screech and a double cry, “to whit, to
whit,” sounding like repeated bursts of harsh
laughter.

Ou Mackinac Island they go by tlie name of
“Pink Throat” and are shot for food. This
species is often seized by Hawks, some of
which, especially the Sharp-shinned, become
quite expert in the capture.,

Stewart E. White.

Grand Rapids, Kent County, Mieh.

1 17

Large Set of Flicker’s Eggs.

i

On the 2 1 st of May, 1892, I made pre-
paration for an all day tramp through the
! woods of Philadelphia County.

I had not gone very far, when I saw a
Flicker fly out of a hole in a cherry tree.

The hole was about ten feet from the
ground and contained five eggs. Three
days later I visited the nest again, and was
surprised to find three more eggs deposited.

I went to the hole day after day until it'
contained seventeen eggs. On the night
of the seventeenth day it rained, and the
next morning the hole was filled with
water. Is this not an enormous set of
eggs for a Flicker? M. C. C. Wilde.

Camden, N.J.

0.&OVol.l7, Sept. 1892 p.137

Five Sets of Eggs From One Bird
in One Season.

BY J. p. N.

On May 16, 1888, a set of six eggs of the Yel-
l ow-sh afted Flicker {Colaptes auratus ), were
found in Chester” Co., Penn. Desiring to as-
certain some facts in relation to the time oc-
cupied by this species in laying their eggs, the
eggs were all removed.

On May 23, another set of six eggs were
taken from the same hole.

On May 31, a third set of six were taken, also
from the same hole.

On June 6, a fourth set of six were removed
from the same nest.

On June 18, a fifth set of six were found in
the same place. These last eggs were incubat-
ed, while all the others were perfectly fresh.

All of the eggs were remarkably large and
pointed for this species, and no nest eggs were
left to induce the bird to continue laying, as all
were removed in each set each time, they
showed no diminution in size, as the last set

were as large as the first.

lift HI

O.&O, . 3311. jQiy. 1868 P. 1 Q 2 .

Golden-winged Woodpeckers Nesting in a Natural Cavity
in a Decayed Tree.- — I noticed to-day, May 12, 1879, in the vicinity
of Princeton, N. J., a hole that looked, on first sight, like that of a
Flicker ( Colaptes auralus') that had been just finished. It was on the
main trunk of a buttonwood-tree, about eighteen inches in diameter. On
more closely examining the hole, I found that it merely pierced the
“ shell ” of the tree, which was hollow entirely through its centre. It
had evidently been drilled under a misapprehension, and the work aban-
doned as soon as the hollow condition of the tree was ascertained. On
rapping on the trunk of this tree, I saw a Flicker leave a large branch at

Notes on the Flicker.

Spring is here again and before many weeks
all our feathered friends will be hard at work
with nest building and egg laying, and the
collector’s field will once more be free for him
to roam and enjoy himself to his heart’s con-
tent. The professional collector, too, will be
reaping his harvest of eggs and skins, and the
outlook for 1892 is favorable for all of us.

I want to tell you of some curious notes 1
took last summer in various parts of the
country. They may not be new to some of my
fellow ornithologists, but they are to me.

I was staying near Middletown, Del., a little
while last summer and made observations on
three pairs of Flickers. The first pair built in
a live tree within ten feet of the house and the
peculiarity was that the cavity was natural.

It was merely a hollow about six inches deep
in the top of a stump caused by a dead
limb and was about ten feet from the ground.
This hollow was entirely natural and had in
no way been altered by the birds.

I watched them carefully and hoped to be
able to discover something peculiar in the
birds, but after catching both the adults and
carefully examining their bills and feet, I
could see nothing to cause them to depart
from the regular order of nest building of their
species. About a week after the young biids
were hatched, there came a heavy rain-storm
and on ascending to the tree, I found the nest,
which as I said was a more cup and entirely
unprotected, filled with water and the young
of the interesting family all dead.

Another peculiar instance in the same local-
ity was a nest by a pair of birds of the same
species in an apple tree. The hollow in this
instance was fully a foot and a half in diamater
and extended to the ground, the birds enter-
ing through a knothole about five feet a hove.
I noticed them entering and being unbale to
reach anything, procured an axe and cut out
the bottom of the trunk. The eggs were five
in number and laid on the ground at the
I bottom of the hole. To make sure of these
birds I shot the male and have him, together
with the eggs, now in my possession.

I have on record another instance of this
sort but it being similiar to the others I will
not relate it. I should like to know if these
' habits have been observed in any other part of
S the country as they are entirely new to me

M. G. Conwell.

Baltimore, Md.

O.& O.Vol.17, Jane, 1892 p.91

its extremity, and the cavity from which she emerged was found on exami-
nation to contain seven fresh eggs. This cavity had not been formed by
drilling or digging by the birds, but was simply a natural hollow caused
by decay. The cavity started at a point where the branch had been
broken, and was at its opening about three inches in diameter. It ex-
tended into the limb some two feet and a half, and the eggs were laid on
the blackened rotten chips at its extremity. The birds had evidently de-
signed to build in the tree, and having occupied much time at the work of
drilling the hole spoken of in the main trunk, the female was obliged,

| by the necessity of laying her eggs, to find some immediate receptacle,
j So the natural cavity, in an entirely different part of the tree, was utilized.
— W. E. D. Scott, Princeton, N. O. O. 5, J 80 • 1 X880> P»

Nests of Flicker and Downy Wood-
pecker in the Same Stub.

BY O. C. M AXFIELD, WILLARD, NEW YORK.

In the spring of 1884, while camping on the
Oneida river, about three miles above its junc-
tion with the Seneca, I fortunately found a
prize in a small, rotten, soft-maple stub, which
was about eight feet high and ten inches in
diameter. The stub was standing near the
water among a lot of scraggly swamp bushes,
that usually grow at the margin of this stream.
Just back of this stub was a small grove of
walnut (hickory) trees. There was a pathway
made by cattle, passing within five feet of the
stub.

At a distance of four feet above the ground
was a Golden Flicker’s ( Golaptes auratus ) nest.
Just above, about ten inches more, was a nest
of the Downy Woodpecker ( Picus pubescens).

The stub was so decayed that I picked away
the wood with my fingers to get the eggs.
The Flicker's nest was eight inches in depth ;
the Downy's live inches, and both were entirely
worked out by the birds and seemed to be
freshly built. The Flicker’s nest contained
eight eggs, incubation about one week. In the
| nest of the Downy were five eggs, all fresh.

When I had obtained the eggs from both of
the nests, the whole top of the stub had been
picked away, leaving about four feet still stand-
I ing. and in the top of it was a slight convexity :
the bottom of the Flicker’s nest.

The nests of the Flicker are common in that
; part of Oswego County, but this is the only
time I have ever observed the Downy nesting
| j there. The latter are to be seen at all seasons
: j of the year and probably breed in some num-
bers.

In the spring of 1885, I was again on my way
up the Oneida and passing the stub I found a
Crow Blackbird had taken possession of it and
[ had built her nest in the top. I was very near
the bird before she flew off and could not be
mistaken in such a common bird. I took a set
! of four eggs from the nest.

This nest was very light and flimsy as com-
pared with other nests of the same species. It
| appeared to be only lining, and was totally
; lacking the coarser outside material that is
! usually found in their nests. In fact some
parts of the wood of the stub were plainly visi-
ble through the nest.

XIII. Sep t. 1888 P.13G

The Partridge Woodpecker is very fond
of nuts, and manages to secure a good / Ha\/U.
many of them even after the snow has f^XZ
fallen, digging out of old stumps and from q
under the bark of fallen trees. When
there is no snow, which is the greater part /m /.
of the winter here in eastern Massachu- f^o
setts, he confines his operations mostly to
ant-hills, and manages to do considerable
execution, if the contents of his stomach
is to be relied upon.

skinning was found to have a deep dent in the
dome of the skull, much like one so frequently

made in Derby hats; a wl - n - 1T , u l l

than all ihu uthui^— Jha -cn i ac of another
I found dead in an excavation
formerly occupied by one of his species as a I
nest. This was on February 22, 1886, and the j
feet of the bird were frozen to a sheet of
ice on the floor of the cavity. Undoubtedly
the bird had taken refuge there during a rain-
storm, and a sudden change of temperature
had frozen the little water that had blown in
by the wind, and thus the poor bird was im-
prisoned until his deafjj.

O.&O. XlV.May.lSB9 P. ' Harry Gordon White ,
Amesbury,_Mass., April 10, 1889 . .

Birds of Dea.d River Region.Me. F.H.O.
75. Golaptes auratus, (Yellow-shafted Flicker).
Common around the farms at Eustis and Stratton
as well as farther south. Nesting habits as else-
where ; seen in large flocks in the pastures in
September

O.&O. XI. Nov. 1886. p. 1Q3

Birds TSQga Oo, N.Y. Aides Lor ine,

378. Yellow-shafted Flicker. Common.
Arrives here about the fifteenth of March. Its
nest is built after the manner of the other
Woodpeckers in a dead tree. About the last of
May the female commences laying. The usual
number of eggs are seven. They are of a clear,
glossy, white color. A set of seven in my col-
lection measures 1 1-8 in. by 7-8 in., 1 1-8 in.
by 7-8 in., 1 5-36 in. by 7-8 in,, 1 1-8 in. by 7-8
in, 1 1-8 in. by 7-8 in., 1 1-8 in. by 7-8 in.,

1 1-8 in. by 7-S in. The food of these birds
consists of larvae. As the middle of October
I draws near these birds get ready to depart.
At this time they may be found in the fields
and orchards living on bugs and wild cherries.
About the middle of October they leave for
thesouth.

Oa&Qt XV, ?uns, 1890, p.©5

Novel Nesting-sites of Woodpeckers {Colaftes auratus and Mel-
anerpes erythrocefhalus .') — Having often wondered where the above-named
birds breed when seen on the open prairies forty or fifty miles from any
timber the whole summer, I promised some farmer boys a suitable reward
if they would find their nests anywhere outside of hollow trees and was
most agreeably rewarded in being shown two nests of the Golden-winged
Woodpecker and one of the Red-headed in rather queer quarters. One
nest of the former was in an old wagon hub, about two feet from the ground,
and hidden by a rank growth of weeds. The other was in a hollow formed
by two large willow-sticks that formed part of a hay roof over a cattle-shed.

The nest of the Red-head was in the angle formed by the shares of an
upturned plow. In no instance was there any attempt at nest-building,
the newly-hatched young ones resting on some dirt and rubbish. — G. S.
Agersborg, Vermillion, Dakota. Bull. N.O.C, Q^APril, 1881, p. /ZO .

Colaptes aur'atusV-The instance of the nesting of the Flicker (C. auratus )
within a building, as recorded in the Monograph of the Flicker (Wilson

Bulletin, No. 31), reminds me of a somewhat -similar case which came to
my notice in June, 1897. A barn in Lynnfield, unoccupied and seldom
visited, was frequented by Flickers, several holes being made by them in the
sides of the building. All the holes that I saw were made where a seam
was formed by two boards. A pair of the Flickers nested in the barn
laying their eggs on some hay. I did not myself see the eggs in position
but the facts in the case were later furnished me by Mr. J. W. Ross, the

owner of the property.

A pile of hay some five or six feet high occupied one corner of the barn.
The Flicker laid her eight eggs on this hay pile, making a slight depres-
sion. The eggs were laid close to the side of the barn and about one foot
below the hole made therein by the birds.

Mr. Ross visited his barn at infrequent intervals and thinks that this will

explain why the Flickers nested therein. On the occasion of one visit in
May the bird flew from her eggs on the hay and made her escape through
one of the holes. Two of the eight eggs were taken by boys, but the
others hatched and Mr. Ross believes that the young were safely reared.
This instance of the- Flicker nesting within a building differs from tha i
recorded in the ‘Wilson Bulletin ’ in that the Massachusetts bird utilized
hay for a nesting-place while in the other case the eggs were laid on
boarding. — J. A. Farley, Malden, Mass.

Auk, XVIII, Oct., 1901,

Vol.Xl

■893 J

Brewster, A Brood of Toting Flickers.

231

A BROOD OF YOUNG FLICKERS (COLAPTES
A UR A TVS) AND HOW THEY WERE FED.

BY WILLIAM BREWSTER.

Late in May, 1892, I noticed a Flicker’s hole, then apparently
completed, in a very rotten stump covered externally with gray
lichens and a species of woody fungus. This stump was one of
seven nearly upright but diverging stems, all evidently sprouts
from the same roots and six still living. The tree, an ancient
white maple, stood on the bank of Concord River, within a few
yards of a boat landing. Besides the Flicker’s hole the old sturrtp
contained at this time two other inhabited nests ; a Downy Wood-
pecker’s near the top, and a little lower down a Bluebird’s. The
Flicker’s nest was still lower — about ten feet above the ground.

The Bluebirds first, and shortly afterwards the Downy Wood-
peckers, reared and took away their young, after which a pair of
House Sparrows entered into possession of the hole which the
Downies had vacated. Scarcely had the female Sparrow laid
her eggs, when a boy, attempting to climb the stump, broke it off
squarely at the entrance hole of the Flicker’s nest. For two
weeks or more previous to this, I had frequently started one 01-
other of the Flickers from the nest in passing it on my way
to the landing ; but I had learned little regarding them beyond
the fact that their hearing was so keen that I could never quite
reach the tree without alarming them, and that during this
period (when, as will presently appear, incubation must have
been constantly going on) they were frequently at work pecking
at the inside of the trunk.

The accident to the stump happened June 23, at about noon.
An hour later I examined the nest, which was now entirely open
at the top. In the bottom lay five young Flickers, about as large
as plucked House Sparrows and perfectly naked. Their eyes
were tightly closed and I judged them to be less than a week old.
They were writhing and shivering pitifully, the air being cool
and damp at the time. I watched the nest for nearly an hour,
but saw nothing of the parent birds. As a cold rain storm
began soon after and lasted through the following night I con-

'V/

General Notes.

183

A Second Massachusetts Specimen of the Red-bellied Wood-
pecor ( Centnrus carolinus'). — At the establishment of Pertia W.
Aldricfcn the well-known taxidermist, I have lately seen a freshlv-made
skin of aSRed-bellied Woodpecker which Mr. Aldrich tells me was shotyt
Cohasset,\jay 28, 1881, by a young son of Matthew Luce, Esq., of Bos#m.
The bird is aH adult male in fine plumage. It is the second known Massa-
chusetts specirtmn, the first having been recorded in the last/(April)
number of the Bulletin, by Gordon Plummer, Esq. — William Brewster,
Cambridge , Massi\ /

[Although the twoSmecimens alluded to above are doubtless the only ones
thus far known to haveSbeen actually taken in Massachusetts it may be
well to call attention to tWo earlier records. In my “Catalogue of Birds
found at Springfield, MassV etc., published in 1864 CFroc. Essex Institute,
Vol. IV, pp. 48-98), Igave thdSspecies as a “Summer Visitant. Accidental” ;
and add: “ Saw one May I3th\r863” ( 1 . c., p. stff. I also cite Peabody
(Rep. on the Birds of Mass.) asVtating that Professor Emmons had found
it breeding in Western Massachusetts. Whatever may be the weight of
the testimony last cited, I will take\his opaefrtunity of stating more fully
the instance I give on my own authority The specimen was shot and
fell, but just as it reached the ground Wled off a few feet into a pile of
brush thickly overgrown with busheyaNad a prolonged search, repeatedly
renewed on subsequent days, faileyto discover the bird. Nothing in my
ornithological experience evertryfie so deepen impression on my memory,
or gave me keener disappointment, for I kritew what a prize I had lost.
The species was then well kn6wn to me, and w^s as distinctly recognized
as it could have been had Y had it actually in iWid. A specimen of this
species has since been/taken by Mr. E. I. ShoreS. within five miles (at
Suffield, Conn, (see Jflerriam’s Birds of Conn., p\6s), of the locality
where my example yvas shot. — J. A. Allen.] \

A curious Colaptes. — The most remarkable case \f C. mexicanus
-\- auratus which has come under my observation is that Of a specimen
taken heryFebruary 20, 1881. The bird is mexicanus , excepnVg the 1st,
2d, 3d, add 5th tail feathers of the left side, which are auratus — tH& golden-
yellow in striking contrast with the orange-red of the rest of the taUNThe
speebnen also illustrates the rare anomaly of bilateral asymmetry in color-
ation. It is deposited in the National Museum. — Elliott Coues, Fold
Whipple, Arizona .

A Vernacular Synonomy. — The compiling of a list of the names of
our birds in use among the people to whom they are popularly known has
always seemed to me a matter both of interest and value ; and I have for
some years been making notes for such a Vernacular Synonomy, as it
might be termed. There is more in it than the mere grouping of this
class of information, since opportunities for philological study exist in
plenty, and other general facts of interest are likely to be brought out.
As an unimportant example of what I mean, take the case of the Golden-
winged Woodpecker ( Colaptes auratus') which is variously known as
follows :

The only other prominent bird on this
autumn day was that bird of many names, —
the “flicker.” A local name used on Cape
Ann is, I think, new in print, viz, “Yellow
Wing.”

The Flicker, when seen at all, is always con-
spicuous, but on this day he was more plenti-
ful than usual, and twice during my walk I
noticed signs of that habit common with its
Californian variety, but newly (?) acquired by
the eastern Flicker, of boring into buildings.
One example was in the side of a barn, and I
was fortunate enough to see the occupant en-
tering just at sunset, probably to spend the
night. The other hole was similarly situated !
in an old corn house. On another occasion
during a bright morning late in November I saw
one of these birds in the act of leaving a hole
likewise in a barn, and I know of an ice house
which is literally full of holes made by these
birds in order to reach the sawdust, into which
they burrow for their winter quarters. Two
| other instances which have come to my atten-
| tion are worth notice; one of a Woodpecker
j which had taken up his abode in a hole which
| he made under the eaves of a dwelling, where
j he spent several winters. And the other, told
me by a friend and frequent contributer to this
magazine, of a Flicker which nested several
years in a crevice of an unused chimney in his
grandfather’s house. As I came suddenly into
a clearing among a growth of thick bushes and
trees, I started a Flicker which was climbing
the vertical trunk of a tree, like any other
Woodpecker, a position comparatively rare for
auratus to assume, for he is most fond of feed-
ing on the ground. y

//. (J. Utflh .

ID ±(9. TTV- (DcT. /gfr?- A - /^“7.

\V inter Birds in South-eastern Mass.
Harry G. White

1. The Flicker. This bird is ordinarily con-
sidercd to be a regular winter resident in this
part of the state, and the notes here given are

only designed to show the actual status of the £

species at this season. This, and indeed each HOLOGIST
of the following species of land-birds, seems:

[Vol. 17-No. 6

to bo rather more numerous in the Cape Cod , g ;
district, (Flymouth and Barnstable counties), )( j '
than at more inland points, possibly on j
account of the diminishing amount of snow, ,y
and the somewhat higher mean temperature a |
in the immediate vicinity of the coast. At .,j
all events, the Flicker is a comparatively (e
abundant bird in such localities, and the ratio ,n
of its increase seems to be more pronounced \
as wo pass from west to oast. The data shows u _
tli at there wore fifty-three Flickers seen at , n
three stations during the month of December, ls
namely, at Taunton, eight birds on four days; in
at Wood’s IIoll, seven birds on six days; and at , n
Highland Light, thirty-seven birds on twenty-
one days. , e

The entire number of Flickers observed at IC
the various stations in January amounted to

ton and Wood’s IIoll, the difference is grater,
being as 1: 5, while at Nauslion and Highland
Light, it is only as 1 : 2. 1 am, however, of

the opinion that the effects of the migrational
tide, so to speak, are very much more pro-
nounced in the vicinity of Taunton, than in the
counties to the eastward of that place, and
therefore the excess over the number of actual
summer residents or breeding birds, is not in
the same ratio at all points, being greatest to
the west and diminishing in an easterly
direction.

0.&O.Vol.l7, June, 1892 p. 81-82

seventy-nine, viz., at Taunton, thirty-three 1-
birds, on nine days ; at Nauslion, thirteen e
birds, on seven days; at Wood’s IIoll, eight it
birds on as many days, and at Highland Light, :s
twonty-five birds on eleven days. y

Observations for February were not received a
from Taunton, but were continued as usual at 3
the other stations. The aggregate number for ■.
the month was forty-three birds. At Nauslion
there were seven birds on four days; at Wood’s 1
IIoll, observations wore conducted on each of b
the twenty-eight days, but no Flickers were j> j
seen; at Highland Light, thirty-six birds were t
recorded on eleven days.

It is, of course, probable, that in most cases s j
the same bird was seen on each recurring s
observation, and was thus counted over several e |
times. Still, the mere fact of its presence at I
j the same spot on successive days, may be 3 [;
1 regarded as demonstrating permanency or res- y \
idonce, for, as Mr. Stone once said, “greats
variation in numbers from day to day, and I t|
will add, from time to time, denotes activity, J !
(migration), while comparatively unchanging 3 ?
numbers denote rest, (non-migration).” e

The mean or average numbers of Pigeon -
Woodpeckers, as deducted from the monthly s
i sums, are seventeen for December, nineteen for
January and eleven for February. Assuming
' that these moans represent the ideal number

of Flickers to bo met with at any locality with •
ordinarily favorable surroundings during the
respective months for which they stand, it may
be considered in localities where the actual f
number of Yellow Hammers is above the |-
average of the several stations, to denote more -
than ordinary favorable conditions for their e
existence; either on account of a greater food s
supply, unusual protections from the extremes J-
! of weather, or from their various natural
enemies; but if the actual numbers of the birds
I present do not come up to the average, then
the conditions of environment might be con-
sidered unfavorable. In the immediate vicin-

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The only other prominent bird on tliis
autumn day was that bird of many names, —
the “flicker.” A local name used on Cape
Ann is, I think, new in print, viz, “Yellow
Wing.”

The Flicker, when seen at all, is always con-
spicuous, but on this day he was more plenti-
ful than usual, and twice during my walk I
noticed signs of that habit common with its
Californian variety, but newly (?) acquired by
the eastern Flicker, of boring into buildings.
One example was in the side of a barn, and I
[ was fortunate enough to see the occupant en-
| tering just at sunset, probably to spend the
night. The other hole was similarly situated
in an old corn house. On another occasion
| during a bright morning late in November I saw
j one of these birds in the act of leaving a hole
likewise in a barn, and I know of an ice house
which is literally full of holes made by these
birds in order to reach the sawdust, into which
| they burrow for tlieir winter quarters. Two
! other instances which have come to my atten-
| tion are worth notice; one of a Woodpecker
{ which had taken up his abode in a hole which
he made under the eaves of a dwelling, where
he spent several winters. And the other, told
| me by a friend and frequent contributer to this
i magazine, of a Flicker which nested several
[ years in a crevice of an unused chimney in his
| grandfather’ s house. As I came suddenly into
j a clearing among a growth of thick bushes and
trees, I started a Flicker which was climbing
the vertical trunk of a tree, like any other
Woodpecker, a position comparatively rare for
auratus to assume, for he is most fond of feed-
ing on the ground. y 1

H.q. u/&U*.

(0 YTV ■ (DcT. /m- /> - 7.

82 ORNITHOLOGIST [Vol. 17-No. 6

ity of Wood’s Holl, the requirements of this ton and Wood’s Iloll, the difference is grater,
bird are apparently not as perfectly developed being as 1: 5, while at Nauslion and Highland
as at points a short distance away. Light, it is only as 1 : 2. 1 am, however, of

Across the channel, on Nauslion island, they the opinion that the effects of the migrational
are more plenty, and I have also noticed aj tide, so to speak, are very much more pro-
great increase in the numbers of this bird nounced in the vicinity of Taunton, than in the
about the settlements of shore houses on the
branch railroad which connects Wood’s Iloll
with the main Cape Cod line, and notably, at
the villages of Wenaumet, Cataumet, and Mon-
ument Beach. Upon inquiry, I have been
imformed that the Pigeon Woodpecker has
become so abundant as a winter resident in
these places, that it is classed as a “common
nuisance” by people having cottages, and boun-
ties have been offered for tlieir heads because
of their destructive habit of boring into the
houses for shelter during the winter.

The avidity of the bird to select such excel-
lent refuges, and the celerity with which the
new habit is adopted, together with the extent
of the new fields to conquer, naturally results
in the draining of the surrounding territory
and the localization of all available forces in a
similar form to the Sparrow rookeries and
Robin roosts, described by Mr. Norris and Dr.

Brewster.

There was one Woodpecker that had
excavated a home in a flag-staff, erected by the
Coast Survey on an islet in the harbor, and to
which he resorted nightly during the first part
of the winter, but when the cold waves of Feb-
ruary came, I missed my Colaptes from his
usual haunts, and I imagine that he was
obliged to find quarters less exposed to the
sweeping northwest wind.

A comparison of the numbers of this bird
during winter and the season of migration may
prove interesting, and the following table is
given to show the mean monthly numbers at
either station during the season of autumnal
migration, including September, October and
November, and the period of rest, including the
winter months already mentioned. Simultane-
ous notes were not received from all points
previous to the first of September.

counties to the eastward of that place, and
therefore the excess over the number of actual
summer residents or breeding birds, is not in
the same ratio at all points, being greatest to
the west and diminishing in an easterly
direction.

O.ftO.Yol.17, June, 1892 p.81-82

AVERAGE NO. FLICKERS SEEN PER MONTH.

TAUNTON. NAUSHON. WOOD’S HOLL. NO. TRURO. TOTAL. MEAN-

Autumn, 10T 22 23 64 216 54

Winter, 20 10 6 33 68 17

This gives the mean average number of
Flickers for the months of migration, as fifty-
four, and during the three cold months of win-
ter, it is seventeen; or in other words, these
Woodpeckers are likely to be one-third as
plenty at that season as in autumn. At Taun-

General 'Notes.

Two Corrections. — In an article which appeared in the July number of
‘The Auk’ I described at some length a peculiar process of regurgitation
employed by the Flicker in feeding its young, believing — and indeed
remarking at the time — that the habit was unknown or at least unrecorded.
It seems, however, that it had been previously observed by Mrs. Olive
Thorne Miller who published an account of it in 1890 in the ‘Atlantic
Monthly,’ the article being afterwards (in 1892) republished in a collec-
tion of essays entitled ‘Little Brothers of the Air.’

It is a pity that writers like Mrs. Miller — gifted with rare powers of
observation and blessed with abundant opportunities for exercising them
— cannot be induced to record at least the more important of their dis-
coveries in some accredited scientific journal, instead of scattering them
broadcast over the pages of popular magazines or newspapers, or ambush-
ing them in books with titles such as that just quoted. But an oppor-
tunity for delivering a properly frank and telling homily on this sad evil is
unfortunately denied me on the present occasion, for some one of these
writers might be unkind enough to point the moral of a second admission
which I am about to make, viz., that my announcement, in the last num-
ber of ‘The Auk,’ of the capture in Georgia, by Mr. Worthington, of two
specimens of the Ipswich Sparrow, proves to have been anticipated in a
previous issue (Vol. VII, April, 1890, pp. 21 1, 212) of the same journal.
It is needless to say that this fact had quite escaped my memory — as it
had also, apparently, that of our usually vigilant editors — and I was
further thrown off my guard by Mr. Worthington’s statement that, as far
as he was aware, his birds had never been reported. This assurance —
unquestionably given in good faith — affords a striking as well as amusing
instance of the fallibility of human memory, for the record just cited was
made by Mr. Worthington himself . — William Brewster, Cambridge ,

Mass . Auk X.Ottt, 1893 p 300,

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General Notes,

Two Corrections. — In an article which appeared in the July number of
‘The Auk’ I described at some length a peculiar process of regurgitation
employed by the Flicker in feeding its young, believing — and indeed
remarking at the time — that the habit was unknown or at least unrecorded.
It seems, however, that it had been previously observed by Mrs. Olive
Thorne Miller who published an account of it in 1890 in the ‘Atlantic
Monthly,’ the article being afterwards (in 1892) republished in a collec-
tion of essays entitled ‘Little Brothers of the Air.’

It is a pity that writers like Mrs. Miller — gifted with rare powers of
observation and blessed with abundant opportunities for exercising them
— cannot be induced to record at least the more important of their dis-
coveries in some accredited scientific journal, instead of scattering them
broadcast over the pages of popular magazines or newspapers, or ambush-
ing them in books with titles such as that just quoted. But an oppor-
tunity for delivering a properly frank and telling homily on this sad evil is
unfortunately denied me on the present occasion, for some one of these
writers might be unkind enough to point the moral of a second admission
which I am about to make, viz., that my announcement, in the last num-
ber of ‘The Auk,’ of the capture in Georgia, by Mr. Worthington, of two
specimens of the Ipswich Sparrow, proves to have been anticipated in a
previous issue (Vol. VII, April, 1890, pp. 21 1, 212) of the same journal.
It is needless to say that this fact had quite escaped my memory — as it
had also, apparently, that of our usually vigilant editors — and I was
further thrown off my guard by Mr. Worthington’s statement that, as far
as he was aware, his birds had never been reported. This assurance —
unquestionably given in good faith — affords a striking as well as amusing
instance of the fallibility of human memory, for the record just cited was
made by Mr. Worthington himself — William Brewster, Cambridge ,
Mass. Auk X. Oat, 1893 p 300,

O.and

Names of a Woodpecker. By W. W. Colburn. Ibid., No, 12,
April 14, p. 248. — A list of thirty-six common names applied to Colaptes

auratus. For. Ss Stream, Vol.X3f.Vin

w 9

CJ >

77 - Colaptus auratus — .Common resident.

▲«k, VI. Oct.. 1889. p. 3J2- 3/V-

349. Yellow or Red-shcifted Flicker , which f Editorial. Ibid., VI, p.

82. — One side of the bird presented the characters of the Yellow-shafted
Flicker, and the other side those of the Red-shafted.

1744. Golden winged Woodpecker in Massachusetts. By Heiinit.

Ibid., Feb. 14, p. 63. — Food in winter. ?( 3 f| l/Qla 32

1070. Golden-winged Woodpecker Wintering in Maine. By Everett

Smith. Ibid., Feb. 5, p. 27. ■For. Ss Stream, XX. IV

1740. Flicker. By C. W. Chamberlain. Ibid., Feb

____ 28, p. 107. For, &Str©am. voi, 32

?OUng Oologist. 1539. Flickers in a Church Tomer. By G. F. B[renniger]. Ibid. . p . A nlr Vp Jan

IoS - 1800. P.W.

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