34 



JOURNAL OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



one contained four fresh eggs. These 

 I left until the next day. when I found 

 the female on the nest. She left as I 

 neared the nest, remaining near and 

 calling ouce or twice, the first time 

 either bird had uttered a note while 

 I was at the nest. The nest hole was 

 deepened three inches, but not other- 

 wise changed. The four eggs were of 

 nearly equal size, much smaller than 

 those of '96 and '97, and seemingly 

 similar to those of '95. They measure 

 1.25x1.. 1.24x98. 1.23x1., 1.23x94 

 inches. 



In his "Life Histories," Bendire 

 says of the nest of this species: "The 

 entrance measures from 3 to 3^ inches 

 in diameter, and it often goes 5 inch- 

 es straight into the trunk before it is 

 worked downward. The cavity var- 

 ies from 7 to 80 inches in depth and 

 is gradually enlarged toward the bot- 

 tom, where it is about 6 inches wide." 



My nests differ from this descrip- 

 tion, being the reverse in shape. The . 

 entrances are larger also. 



The birds are probably mated for 

 life. One brood is reared in a sea- 

 son. I find that when the set is tak- 

 en another is laid and the brood rear- 

 ed .I'ust the same as if they had not 

 been disturbed. The young birds re- 

 main with the parents some time af- 

 ter leaving the nest. I saw three 

 birds at work on one tree on Sept. 

 20th, '97. They were apparently a fe- 

 male and two young and were not^at 

 all suspicious, as I was able to get 

 directly beneath the tree they were 

 on and watch them for some time 

 before they took alarm. 



A young bird shot Sept. 26th and 

 given me by an acquaintance was 

 very pin-feathery, with wing-quills and 

 tail but partly grown. It was a 

 male and the red malar patch was 

 noticeable, so this marking is attained 

 the fir«t year. The stomach contain- 

 ed a considerable quantity of whole 

 fruit and stones of the choke-cherry, 



as well as remains of ants and grubs. 

 During the breeding season — always 

 the noisy period in a woodpecker's 

 life — my birds retired to the larger 

 growth, a half mile away, to call and 

 rap, never making any noise when in 

 the grove containing the nest that 

 would attract attention. 



In my locality, this species does not 

 seem to decrease in numbers, a con- 

 dition probably equally true in most 

 parts of the state. They are fairly 

 prolific, have few natural enemies, and 

 by their wariness and retiring habits, 

 largely escape the sempiternal gun- 

 ner. With conditions thus favorable, 

 they may be expected to hold their 

 own fairly well. In "The Auk," Vol. 

 XV, No. 2, Mr. Bangs calls attention 

 to the well-known larger size of our 

 northern bird, which he considers en- 

 titled to recognition as a sub-species, 

 and names the Northern Pileated 

 Woodpecker. Ceophoeus pileatus 

 abieticola, choosing a Greenville, Me., 

 bird as type. The bird seems to have 

 as good claim to such recognition as 

 some already in the "List." 



With the bursting buds of May I 

 hope to find my pair of woodpeckers 

 back in the same grove, where, if 

 nothing happens to them, I expect 

 them to finish and occupy the hole 

 commenced last summer in the old 

 stub. 



******* 



Since the above paper was read at 

 our annual meeting in 1898, further 

 observations have been made which 

 may briefly supplement the paper, 

 now requested for publication. Prop- 

 hecy in bird life is, at best, of doubt- 

 ful fulfilment, and it was with some 

 satisfaction that I found, when I vis- 

 ited the old stub, on May 13th 1899, 

 that the hole had indeed been finished, 

 and at that date contained four eggs 

 nearly one-half incubated. The en- 

 trance to this hole was four inches in 

 diameter and it was 20 inches deep. 



