44 THIv I'lJCKKR. 



once found a nest in a cavity of an apple tree, and as soon as the 

 first egg was deposited it was removed, and as fast as all subse- 

 quent eggs were laid they were removed ; the bird continued 

 to lay day after day until she had deposited 27 eggs. Mr. F. A. 

 Colby has known it to lay as many as 28 eggs in a continuous 

 stretch ; a day perhaps was skipped after the boys robbed her, 

 but she did not stop laying more than two days at a time when 

 relieved of four to six eggs in a bunch. Rev. P. B. Peabody 

 discovered a nest among a dense growth of black oaks, averag- 

 ing about six inches in diameter. It was placed eighteen 

 inches from the ground in a cavity, which, according to his re- 

 membrance, was partly natural and partly excavated by the 

 birds, the depth being very slight. One or two eggs only were 

 taken at the time at first, whereupon the mother Flicker, like 

 so many others on record, began to spin out her " set " to the 

 number of oO or over before giving up in despair. Mr. J. H. 

 Armfield reports the taking of a large number of eggs from 

 a cavity in a maple tree near a .spring, .seven miles S. W. of 

 Green.sboro, N. C, in '9<S. Five eggs were collected on May 

 (ith, and every two or three da^'s thereafter all eggs found 

 were gathered ; the female continuing to lay, not every day, 

 however, until July 5th, when she had deposited 4S eggs. 

 This is the next to the largest on record. In relation to that his- 

 toric and extraordinarily prolific bird of Taunton, Ma.ss., little 

 can be added to the meagre notes recorded bj- the collector at 

 the time. The eggs were taken one at a time from a cavity in 

 a wnllow, beginning Ma}' (Ith, 'SC), leaving a ne.st egg, until 71 

 had been deposited. Mr. Chas. L,. Phillips informs me that 

 .some of the eggs were accidentally broken and the remainder 

 dispo.sed of to Mr. F. B. Webster, the well known dealer, who 

 in turn writes me that he has entirely lost .sight of the Phillips 

 collection, and has no means of tracing it, as it may have been 

 broken up for decorative purpo.ses. No measurements were 

 taken, and while the collector is inclined to think they were all 

 the product of one female, it is not impo.ssible that a .second 

 bird who.se own ne.st had been demoli.shed, may have " jumped 

 the claim " in preference to chi.seling out a fre.sh nest .so late in 

 the sea.son, and after one day's interval contributed her .share 

 to the grand total. Still, as Mr. Phillips argues, it is unlikely. 

 It is unfortunate that this .series of eggs was not better appre- 



