40 



OEOTTHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 13-No. 3 



From old, hollow chestnut stub. Mr. Rawson 

 says-: '• Drove female out as usual. Ninth year 

 from this bii'd. Only one set of two in ISSo. 

 A set of two Jlarch IS. ISSC; tenth year and 

 forty eggs hi all from this one female. Not 

 seen in 1887." Two eggs, fresh: 1. 112 x 1.07 ; 

 1.92xl.6G. 



Set XX H. April 18, 188."). Preston. Timn. 

 Collected by "J. M. \V." Nest in large chest- 

 nut stub. This is a second set, as first set was 

 found March 2G, ISS.'i. A tliird set was found 

 May 9th. This owl formerly allowed Mr. Raw- 

 son to handle her wliile sitting, but she after- 

 wards became more timid, and flew out when 

 disturbed. Three eggs, fresli : 1.88xl.i!7; l.'Jl 

 xl.69; 1.98x1.66. 



Set XXIIt. March 28, 1886. Norwich, ( ■oun. 

 Collected by "J. M. W." Heavily feathered 

 old nest in chestnut. In trying to secure the 

 bright young male, Mr. Kawson shot the fe- 

 male, which looked as if it was moulting. No 

 more eggs were found in the oviduct ready for 

 extrusion. 'J'wo eggs, fresh: 1.90x1.61; 1.96 

 X 1.62.— J. P. N.] 



Following the Logcock. 



BY R. B. MCl.AUdHLIN, STATES VIl.LE, N. C. 



I had hoped to secure some additional sets of 

 eggs of the Pileated Woodpecker or Logcock 

 {Hylotomus pilcatus) , during the season of 1877, 

 but I was disappointed. The nest is most 

 easily found wlille It is being excavated, so 1 

 determined on April 9th as an an opportune 

 time to explore the woods. I>eaving at or 

 about 0.30 a. m., 1 had gone scarcely a half 

 mile into the nearest wood when I heard the 

 noisy notes of H. pilcutun, and had no dilliculty 

 in following them up. I had passed through 

 some rather dense undergrowth and stepped 

 into a road, when, cpiite unexpectedly, I Hushed 

 two pairs of the birds but a few rods apart, anti 

 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, 1 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 1 

 was encouraged and indeed grateful it J got in 

 sight of them in time to see them tiy. 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 h.ad flown, 'i'hey had not gone far, 

 and when the bird <-alled his mate, he perhaps 

 noted with some spleen that I answered. These, 

 too, were sutticiently wary. Lured on by my 

 zeal, however, I followed the birds the greater 

 part of the forenoon, but with no success. 



On April ICth. 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 I'everberate 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 

 nmte, 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 trunk, 

 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 examiiiation 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 biid 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 



