452 



Bird -Lore 



when it commenced to melt and within a 

 short time disappeared. 



At different dates, the Killdeer was 

 noticed during the winter. I went afield 

 every day during this bad weather, 

 besides several others, to look for these 

 birds, and had the satisfaction of observ- 

 ing them on each occasion. — Ralph W. 

 Jackson, R. D. No. i, Cambridge, Md. 



An Old Note Regarding the Breeding 



of the Red-headed Woodpecker 



on Long Island 



Breeding records of the Red-headed 

 Woodpecker on Long Island are exceed- 

 ingly few, and the following account 

 seems worth publishing, partly because it 

 constitutes an additional record, partly 

 because of its data on the nesting habits 

 of the species. 



The note was written on April 23, 1880, 

 by the late Mr. William L. Chapel, of 

 Brooklyn, whose collection of eggs was 

 given to the Brooklyn Museum many 

 years ago. The manuscript containing the 

 account is in the form of an unaddressed 

 letter. The locality of the nest is given 

 simply as "Long Island," with a state- 

 ment that one had not been found in this 

 locality before. Judging from other notes 

 left by Mr. Chapel, I beUeve that the 

 neighborhood was almost certainly at the 

 western end of Long Island, probably 

 within the limits of the present borough 

 of Brooklyn. 



"About the 4th of June, while looking 

 principally for Bluebirds' and High- 

 holders' nests, I noticed a newly made hole 

 in the top of a hickory tree. The tree was 

 forty feet high, being broken off at the 

 top, and having but one limb. I attempted 

 to climb it, but as it was so rotten, and as 

 I could not start anything out of the hole 

 by sounding, I gave it up as too risky, and 

 was just commencing to eat my lunch 

 when I heard a Woodpecker at work, and, 

 looking up, to my delight discovered a 

 Red-headed Woodpecker at work at this 

 hole; so I sat perfectly still and watched 

 him. I never saw a bird work so hard 

 before; it seemed as though his life 



depended on his making that hole in about 

 ten minutes. He worked steadily for 

 about five minutes and then flew to the 

 limb close by and rested. He had dug to 

 the heart of the tree, it being about eight 

 inches in diameter, and I have neglected 

 to state that the hole was within six 

 inches of the top. While he was resting, 

 his mate flew down and commenced 

 operations. She did not work with so 

 much zeal as he did. After they had 

 worked for about fifteen minutes, they 

 flew off, to search, I suppose, for their 

 noonday meal; and that put me in mind 

 of my own, so, after the ants had first 

 finished (as I had left it lying on the grass), 

 and I had eaten what remained, I put on 

 my clamps and ascended the tree to see 

 what the hole looked like. 



"They had dug it in to the center and 

 then down about four inches; so, being 

 satisfied that they were going to breed 

 there, I came down and went on my way. 

 I may as well say that the tree was very 

 disagreeable to climb, as we had been 

 having damp weather, and consequently 

 the tree was covered with mildew and was 

 very slimy. 



"On the 14th of June I visited the tree 

 again, but saw no signs of the birds. I 

 thoroughly sounded the tree, but to no 

 effect. I nevertheless climbed it, and this 

 time it was much easier, as it was very 

 dry. On getting within fifteen feet of the 

 hole, I looked up, and was greatly encour- 

 aged by seeing the bird looking at me, 

 with his head out of the hole, so I 

 hastened my movements, and succeeded in 

 getting within five feet of the hole before 

 she flew out. 



"The birds had since dug the hole to a 

 depth of twelve inches. 



"The eggs were four in number, being 

 pure white, and not so shiny as those of 

 our Golden- winged Woodpecker." 



Continuing, Mr. Chapel speaks of the 

 abundance of the Red-headed Wood- 

 pecker in Pennsylvania and the Middle 

 West, and closes with an account of his 

 observations along the banks of the St. 

 Joseph River, Michigan: 



"I found Red-headed Woodpeckers in 



