166 BULLETIIsr 17 4, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



much in evidence and very noisy. Mr. Wayne told me that these two 

 pairs of birds had nested in this tract of timber for many years. 

 He writes (1910) regarding their nesting habits: 



If the season is a forward one the birds mate early in February and towards 

 the latter part of the month begin to excavate their hole, which requires exactly 

 a month for completion. During the month of March, 1904, I made observa- 

 tions on a pair which excavated their hole in a dead pine. On March 21, 

 the opening was commenced by the female, who drilled a small hole, and by 

 degrees enlarged it to the size of a silver dollar. The male assisted in the 

 excavation, but the female did by far the larger part of the work. The size 

 of the aperture was not increased until necessary to admit the shoulders of the 

 bird. I visited these birds every day in order to note the progress of their 

 work, and, being so accustomed to seeing me, they were utterly fearless and I 

 could, at any time, approach within twenty feet without hindering the work, 

 although the hole was only about thirty feet from the ground. This hole was 

 completed on April 21, and the first egg was laid the following morning. * * * 

 In this case the excavation was made under a dead limb, and was about eighteen 

 inches deep, being hollowed out more on one side than the other. This wood- 

 pecker is so attached to the tree in which it has first made its nest that it 

 continues to cling to it as long as it can find a suitable spot at which to exca- 

 vate a new hole. It never uses the same hole a second time. I know of a 

 pair of these birds which resorted to the same tree for four consecutive years, 

 and each year they excavated a new hole. * * * 



If this bird is deprived of its first set of eggs, it at once excavates a new 

 hole, and the length of time consumed in its construction is about twenty-five 

 days. A curious habit is that even when it is incubating or brooding its young, 

 this bird frequently taps in its hole as if excavating. 



Vernon Sharpe, Jr. (1932), says that in Tennessee "for a nesting 

 site a dead tree is invariably selected and preferably one of large size, 

 from which the branches have fallen. The cavity is situated from 

 20 to 85 feet above the ground, with a depth ranging from 20 to 26 

 inches. Generally the four-inch opening is broader at the base and 

 angular at the top, forming somewhat of a triangular shape. While 

 incubating, this species will continue to enlarge the nest cavity, aa 

 was proved by personal experience." 



M. G. Vaiden writes to me that the pileated woodpecker is fairly 

 common in certain localities near Rosedale, Miss. He has located 

 seven nests in cypress, sycamore, hackberry, or sweetgum trees, at 

 estimated heights ranging from 60 to 75 feet. His nesting dates range 

 from April 14 to April 29. 



Of the nest location, in Texas, Mr. Simmons (1925) says: "Cavity 

 in upper part, usually 30 to 60 feet from ground, in solid trunk of 

 live, sound tree, less commonly in dead or partly dead limbs or trunks, 

 generally tall cottonwood, cypress, elm, or oak, on the edge of woods 

 or in marginal timber skirting stream, and usuallj'^ easily located by 

 the half-bushel of big fresh chips scattered about on the ground 

 below ; tree 10 or more inches in diameter at cavity." 



