BIRDS OF MINNESOTA. 238 



maple on which he had perched, in such a manner as to keep 

 the tree between himself and the dog, which brought him suc- 

 cessively into, and out of view, as the dog circled about us on 

 the scent of grouse with his eyes and nose downward, in total 

 forgetfulness of the woodpecker, which the latter did not fail 

 to perceive. A finer study in natural history I never enjoyed, 

 nor hope to, and it cost me a momentary severe struggle to 

 draw trigger upon such a central figure in such a scene. 



In those days of sporting and collecting combined, I enjoyed 

 repeated opportunities for hearing their hammerings, and their 

 sonorous notes, that were distinct a mile away, when there was 

 no undue disturbance by the wind. 



I never climbed to the hole in which the eggs are deposited, 

 but I have utilized the climbing son of a farmer residing in the 

 forest west of Minnetonka, who explored several for me from 

 time to time. The hole is excavated out of the trunk of a dead, 

 and partially decayed tree, and is usually about half a yard in 

 depth, much larger at the bottom than at the entrance, and 

 contains no materials except the chips of the excavation to a 

 limited amount. Onto these are deposited the five to six, clear, 

 large white eggs, which are brought out by the alternate incu- 

 bation of the two birds. This nest is first entered about the 

 first to the tenth of April. 



The food of the Pileated Woodpeckers does not materially 

 differ from that of other woodpeeckers. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 



Fourth and fifth quills equal and longest, third intermediate 

 between the sixth and seventh; bill blue black; general color of 

 body, wings and tail, dull greenish-black; a narrow white 

 streak from just above the eye to the occiput, a wider one from 

 the nostril feathers (inclusive) under the eye and along the side 

 of the head and neck; side of the breast, (concealed by the 

 wing), axillaries under wing coverts, and concealed bases of all 

 the quills, with chin, and beneath the head, white, tinged with 

 sulphur yellow; entire crown, from the base of the bill to a well 

 developed occipital crest, as also a patch on the ramus of the 

 lower jaw, scarlet-red; a few white crescents on the sides of 

 the body, and on the abdomen; iris very dark hazel. Female 

 without the red on the cheek, and the anterior half of that on 

 the top of the head, replaced by black. 



Length, 18; wing, 9.50; tail, 7. 



Habitat, formerly the whole wooded region of North America; 

 now rare in all and extirpated in many. 



