The Audubon Societies 267 



A TAME RED-HEADED \A^OODPECKER 



In the spring of 1914, while coming out from town, a boy friend found a 

 young Red-headed Woodpecker near a large sycamore tree that had recently 

 been blown down. It had evidently been hatched in a hole in this tree. 



He brought it out to the farm, and we made a cage for it, about three feet 

 high, and placed some dead limbs inside for it to climb on. Its favorite perch 

 was at the very top. Food and water were kept always near, and although 

 many kinds of food were offered, it would eat little except ripe peaches and 

 plums. 



After having been in the cage for about a week, it became very tame and 

 answered the calls of other Woodpeckers which came to trees near the house. 

 During its stay in the cage the red on its head developed very little, there 

 having been a small quantity at the time it was caught. 



After three or four weeks it had learned to fly and was turned loose, but in 

 a day or two it rained and my Woodpecker seemed not to know what to do. 

 I caught and fed it several times, and finally put it in a deserted Woodpecker's 

 hole in the orchard. 



While there, it once flew from a tree and Ht on my shoulder, hesitating a 

 little as if to make sure of my identity. I fed it here about a week, when one 

 morning it was found in its hole almost dead and died later in the day. I 

 supposed that its death was caused by too long sojourn in the cage or by getting 

 the wrong kind of food. — John H. Gooch (14 years), Albion, III. 



[This interesting account, which was kindly forwarded to the School Department 

 by Mr. Robert Ridgway, is especially instructive as an example of what may be learned 

 by original observation. The Woodpecker described was a nestling, hatched in a hole 

 in a tree, which became tame soon after being placed in a cage. It sought a high perch, 

 answered Woodpeckers which called near its cage, learned to fly, but after being liberated 

 seemed unable to take care of itself and was easily caught and placed in a hole in a tree. 

 It seemed to know its benefactor, or at least to react to the stimulus of food offered by 

 him, but it died soon after, probably from insufficient or wrong diet and the enervating 

 effect of being caged. The development of its plumage, so far as the red on its head was 

 concerned, was slow. If the Woodpecker had lived longer, the observer would have dis- 

 covered that immature birds of this species have little if any red in the juvenal plumage; 

 also, that a favorite food is beechnuts, although fruit and insects are among its articles 

 of diet during the year. For further notes of interest, see Chapman's 'Birds of Eastern 

 North America,' p. 328. — A. H. W.] 



FLYCATCHING CEDAR W^AXWINGS 



As I was on my way to the woods one day last summer, passing the reser- 

 voir, I saw perched on the fence surrounding the water a great many birds which 

 I supposed to be some variety of Flycatcher that I had not yet identified. 

 They kept darting over the water after the manner of Flycatchers. Drawing 

 closer, I saw that they had crests, and finally identified them as Cedar Wax- 



