Field Notes 107 



Mr. B. P. Grunauer, of Cleveland, who has recently purchased a 

 farm in the west part of Chester, this county, informs me that he 

 and a friend one day last spring found one, having traced him by 

 his drumming, in a large piece of timber at the back of the farm. 



A student from Hiram College informs me that a pair have nested 

 in a large dead tree near that place for several years. Hiram town- 

 ship is in Portage county, and joins this county on the south. 



The accompanying article, relating to the same bird in another 

 quarter of the county and covering, as it does, a longer period, is 

 evidence, not only that they are likely to be found in all parts of 

 the county, but suggests that this occupation of our territory has 

 continued for very many years. Several other instances of their 

 having been seen in this vicinity might be given in detail, but 

 these are sufficient to establish the fact that Geauga county is and 

 has been, perhaps for ages, the home of this remarkable bird. 



Orange Cook. 



February 22, 1917. 



In the southwest part of Geauga county there is a large un- 

 broken tract of timber of over one hundred acres in extent. This 

 forest was a part of four different farms, one of which was my 

 father's, and later became my own. It was on this farm that I 

 spent sixty years of my life, and I was pretty familiar with the wild 

 life that found a home in the recesses of this forest. And I may 

 add that much wild life yet exists there that has entirely disap- 

 peared from most other sections. 



From my earliest recollections the Pileated Woodpecker has 

 made these woods his home, and he is yet to be found there every 

 year. We first called him the Woodcock. Later we were taught 

 that his proper name was Logcock, and as we began the study of 

 natural history we learned to call him the Pileated Woodpecker. 



How we (my brother and myself) liked to follow the big fellow 

 about, and watch him at work, hammering vigorously and noisily 

 upon the limb or trunk of some decaying tree. The amount of ex- 

 cavating that they could do in a short time was truly astonishing. 

 The powerful strokes of that chisel-like bill could be heard a long 

 distance. Many of the pieces of wood they would throw out of the 

 place they were excavating would measure two or more inches in 

 length. 



Although the Pileated Woodpecker is a rare bird, and somewhat 

 shy, I have never found it difficult to approach him while he was 

 busy at work. He always seemed to be so completely absorbed in 

 the business before him, that he gave but little heed to what was 

 going on around him. 



