436 



THE NORTHWEST SAPStfcKER. 



defeat at the end nf it : but. i>l chuim-. if i.ik- wanti-d v^n>. one had to j;o after 

 tliem. I'irst, we laid out a liheral supply of stout t\v<j-fiMjt fir cleats, ami a 

 O'uple of pounds of small si)ikes. A lad<ier gave us a t\venty-f<M»t start, after 

 wliici) 1 nailed up the deals witii the aid of a three-cjuarter-iuch rope ])assed 



round the tree and uiy IhxIn My com- 



|)anion at the Ijottoni of the tree sujiplied 



iinilding materials which I hoisted from 



lime to time hy means of another rofK. 



In this laljorious fashion the nest was 



ik I reached. The birds, meanwhile, having l)c- 



'ifff I come increasingly anxious. ma<le fre<pieut 



■ ^^- ^ a|)i)roaches from a neighlxiring tree, crying. 



/■•(•(■-(/. hi'c-iui. in helpless bewilderment. 

 S e V e r a 1 times they 

 lighted near the scene 

 of o|)erations. but were 

 frightened off by the 

 resounding blows of 

 the haiifl-axe. When 

 all was over. they 

 raised a high, strong 

 (/iic-no. — qiic-oo. never 

 before heard, and re- 

 minding one generic- 

 ally of the Red-headed 

 W'ooilpeckei of Ixjyhood 

 days. 



Ry the time I had a 

 hole large enough to 

 thrust in the hand, the 

 eggs were quite buried 

 in chips and rotten 

 wood. But when they 

 were uncovered, they 

 were seen to lie, seven 

 of them, in two reg- 

 ular lines. four in 

 the front rank with 

 sides touching evenly, and three in the rear with [Kiints dove-tailed Iwlween. 

 There was, of course, no lining for the nest, save the rotten wood itself. The 

 eggs were perfecllv fresh and bad a warm i)ink tint before the contents were 



• _ jmc, riwla by ficlor Sir.inis 



NESTINf. SITK OF TUi; NOKTUWKST S.M'Sl'CKKK 



