JOURNAL OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



15 



An unusual site I once noted was in an 

 old unused well. The well had been 

 planked over, but from long neglect and 

 exposure the planks had rotted and some 

 had fallen in, leaving the well partly 

 uncovered. The nest was attached to a 

 stone in the side of the well about ten 

 feet below the surface. At the time I 

 visited it the bird was on the nest, but 

 fluttered off, first dropping lower down, 

 then rising from the well. Aside from 

 location, the nest was not peculiar. 

 Though very rare, similarly situated 

 nests have been reported. (Cf. Bendire 

 "Life Histories of No. Am. B'ds," Vol. 

 II. p. 178, and Stone "The Oologist," 

 XIII. p. 40.) C. H. M. 



A Belated Nest of the Northern Flicker. 



Winter Notes from Seguin Island. 



CAPT. H. L. SPINNEY. 



Although we have had a severe winter 

 on the coast it has failed to bring any 

 northern birds to this vicinity. With 

 the exception of the Horned Grebe, 

 birds have been scarcer this winter than 

 ever before within my remembrance. 

 This species used to visit this part of 

 the coast in large numbers every winter 

 until about eight years ago, when they 

 decreased in number very suddenly and 

 from that time not more than two dozen 

 were seen until the present winter, when 

 they again appeared in great abundance, 

 arriving the first of January and at pres- 

 ent they are very abundant in the bays 

 and the mouth of the Kennebec River. 



Of Passeres, 1 have seen only a pair 

 of Northern Ravens which frequent the 

 island and one Robin on Feb. 23rd. 

 This is the first winter that I have not 

 seen Song Sparrows, since I came to the 

 island. 



March 4th, 1899. 



Wliile raspberrying in a cutting in the 

 woods on the 29th of July. 1898, my 

 attention was attracted by the constant- 

 ly recurring call of a Northern Flicker. 

 The call sounded so like that of a young 

 bird and was so often answered from 

 different points in the adjoining woods, 

 that I investigated and soon found it 

 came from a young bird ;it the entrance 

 to the nest, high up in an old birch stub. 

 After a time, one of the parent birds 

 came to the nest with food and I had an 

 opportunity to see sometliing of the 

 process of feeding by regurgitation, 

 which has been several times described, 

 but was new to me. The parent alighted 

 just below the entrance where the young 

 was clinging, and inserted its bill in the 

 open mouth of the young where it was 

 closely grasped and the parent pumped 

 in the food with such vigor that the 

 young bird's neck seemed in danger of 

 dislocation, then removed its bill. The 

 young brought its mandibles together 

 and swallowed several times, then open- 

 ed its mouth for more. After repeating 

 this several times the old bird abruptly 

 left and the young at once recommenced 

 its insistent call. 



Though I could see but one young 

 bird, it is probable there weie more in 

 the nest, as writers who have watched 

 their feeding habits say but one bird 

 comes to the entrance at a time. 



Our Flickers are very regular in their 

 nesting and it is rare to find a nest 

 in which the female has not commenced 

 incubation before June 1st, unless it is 

 a second nest. The date of this seems 

 late for a second set, which is always 

 laid soon after the first is destroyed, 

 and it may be a second brood. 



C. H. M. 



