38 . THR FLICKKR. 



busy excavating nest cavities, very quiet; until May l*)th con- 

 structing nests and depositing eggs, rather silent. When 

 business of so much importance is under way there are no more 

 loud rappings, cries or songs, but silence usually prevails in 

 the immediate vicinity of its labors. If love notes are indulged 

 in they are subdued in tone, and the bird stealthily chiseling at 

 its dwelling will quietly creep around to the oppo.site side of the 

 tree upon the approach of an intruder. Rarely a pair will 

 appear bold and indifferent to observation. With it$ feet close 

 together, holding on by its claws, and its body well braced by 

 means of the stiff tail feathers, it swings backward and for- 

 ward, .showering yeomanlike blows on the spot .selected. The 

 circular hole, ju.st large enough to admit the bird, but .scarcely 

 as neat and true as the be.st work of many others of the tribe, 

 is tunneled in .straight for about six inches, then turned down 

 at right angles, and enlarged rapidly to the maximum diame- 

 ter, which is, as Prof. Jones says, about twice the diameter of 

 the entrance. Often it will chip out .several inches above the 

 entrance hole, for what purpose I am unable to more than con- 

 jecture. Maurice Thompson is authority for the statement 

 that all of our Woodpeckers construct their nests in the form 

 of a graduall}^ widening pocket or gourd shape, except the 

 Ivory-billed, which drills a jug-.shaped cavity. Mr. Robert 

 Wind.sor Smith describes a bird building her nest thirty feet 

 up in an old post oak on June 10th, '08. The location was 

 close to a public road and the Georgia railroad, near Duck- 

 wood, Georgia. In the formation of this nest the female did 

 all the work ; in fact the male did not make his appearance. 

 At the time of the discovery she had already made an exca- 

 vation almost large enough to conceal her entire body. Often 

 during the operations .she would .sink into the hole leaving 

 about half her form expo.sed, remaining in that position but a 

 moment when she would back out and resume her work as 

 before. When a neighboring tree was rapped with a .stick, 

 she would creep around to the opposite side remaining there 

 .several minutes and peering around as if to learn the cau.se ; 

 if no other effort was made to disturb her .she would again 

 resume her place and continue the work unmindful of prying 

 eyes as long as no demonstration was made against her. 

 Wagons and other vehicles passed beneath her and several 



