36 THK FLICKP:r. 



of nothing but the parallel rafters, with attached lath and 

 plaster, which forms the ceiling of the room below. This frail 

 floor is about ten inches below the entrance hole, and the nest 

 was situated about one foot from and directh' in front of the 

 entrance. The place had evidenth' been used for several 

 years, there being at least a peck of wood chippings. .some 

 fre.sh, but a large quantity old and di.scolored with age. The. 

 nest was placed between two of the parallel rafters and com- 

 posed of the.se chippings, being about six inches thick by 

 eighteen inches in diameter. This material had been all cut 

 from the rafters on the floor and the roof overhead. There 

 had been an infinite amount of labor, as large as 2x<) rafters, 

 be.sides a large number of smaller studding, were chipped over 

 half, and others entirely cut through. The birds seem to have 

 been cutting at the rafters for amu.sement, as well as material, 

 as everything in the immediate vicinity of the nest was strewn 

 with chips. The male spent much of his time sitting in the 

 entrance or demolishing the rafters ; the pecking became .so 

 vigorous as to disturb cla.sses in session below. 



I regard this last instance as a much greater departure from 

 the normal habits than any other known to me, as in all pre- 

 viously related instances it was compelled to cut through an 

 outer .shell after the manner natural to it, except in the occu- 

 pancy of wagon hub, barrels, chimney crevice and the bank 

 burrows, which differ in no material way in interior arrange- 

 ment from hollows and burrows in trees. At this rate it 

 appears within the range of po.s.sibility for it to breed in prop- 

 erly constructed bird boxes if protected and encouraged to 

 do so. 



POSITION. 



Prof. lyynds Jones voices the general verdict when he 

 affirms that the trunk of the tree is much preferred, but the 

 main limbs are sometimes used. It seldom if ever carves out 

 for itself a home in a perfectly .sound hardwood tree. Soft 

 punky stubs and trees that are entirely dead or have decayed 

 portions are almost invariably .selected. If the tree chosen is 

 a large one, the excavation is confined to that side of the 

 trunk in which the entrance is made. It excavates with the 

 grain of the wood, so that if the trunk of the tree is .slanting 



