284 THE BIRDS OF MAINE 



before it was worked downward. The horizontal depth of the 

 cavity, the ruler being placed on the lower edge of the entrance, 

 was 11 inches. The vertical depth from entrance was 15 inches. 

 The entrance and walls were smoothly chiseled. The three eggs 

 differed greatly in size, measuring 1.43 x 1.03, 1.41 x 1.02. 

 and 1.28 x 0.97 inches. Ten days later I passed that way 

 and hit the stub in passing, to my su prise the male appeared 

 at the entrance. I climbed to the nest two days later, and 

 found it empty. The male was probably using it for a 

 roost while another nest was being prepared elsewhere. During 

 the winter following, some cutting was done in the grove and 

 the stub just mentioned was cut down and hauled away. I 

 carefully searched the grove for other holes and found a number 

 sufficient to indicate that the birds had been nesting in the 

 grove for a period of ten years at least. Several visits were 

 made, but no birds were seen or heard until the 1 1th of May, 

 when I found the male in the hole used in '95. He drew 

 back out of sight as I approached and I did not disturb him, 

 thinking he was using the old hole as a roost, but searched 

 elsewhere. My search took me some distance from the stub, 

 and I did not return to investigate it that day. On the 16th 

 I was again at the stub, but no birds were in sight, and none 

 appeared when I pounded the stub. This seemed to confirm 

 my roosting theory and I did not climb, but commenced another 

 unsuccessful search. Toward night on the 20th, I went to 

 the grove again and found the male bird in the '95 hole. He 

 drew back as before. When I climbed his conduct was much 

 the same as it was the season previous; I was allowed to ascend 

 nearly to the hole before he left, and he remained near moving 

 from tree to tree, tapping on the trunk and limbs, alike in- 

 different to me and to the fate of the contents of the nest. 

 The nest contained three eggs, counterparts of those taken the 

 previous season. 



I could not see that the hole had been changed in any way, 

 but was just as it was left in '95. It was similar in shape to 



