Birds of Indiana. 841 



louiid. 'riie past year they were not seen along the Whitewater 

 River from October 1, 1896, to April 20, 1897; while in the 

 beechland of Decatur and Shelby counties, they were found 

 all winter. Into the river lowlands it conies as a migrant, while 

 it is resident in the beech woods ten to twenty-five miles away. The 

 winter of 1895-6, it remained in Wayne and Jefferson counties, and 

 at the north end of the State in Dekalb County, where it was found 

 common in colonies (Mrs. Hine). The winter of 1894-5, they wintered 

 in the following counties, in most of them commonly: Brown, Deca- 

 tur, Putnam, Boone, Parke, Tippecanoe. In 1893-4, in Decutur and 

 Dekalb, but none remained in Brown, where there were no beech- 

 nuts, and where they were the next winter. In 1892-3, they wintered 

 in Lake County, but none remained in Monroe. In 1891-2, they re- 

 mained in Monroe, Rush, and Dekalb. 



The winters of 1888-9 and 1885-6, they wintered in the vicinity of 

 Chicago; 1887-8, in Vigo County, in large numbers; beechnuts were 

 common; 1886-7, at Grand Rapids, Mich., and Marion County, Ind. 

 When they all disappear, they are liable to return at any time between 

 March 1 and May 1. Usually, however, they appear in April. This 

 Woodpecker has learned to store its winter food. While it does not 

 do so to the extent the California Woodpecker does, yet at times 

 this habit is quite noticeable. Dr. Haymond was first to observe it 

 here (Proc. P. A., November, 1856, p. 293). Mrs. Hine tells me the 

 winter of 1891-2, they stored, in addition to beechnuts and acorns, 

 some hickory nuts. Prof. 0. P. Hay has given the result of his obser- 

 vations of the hoarding habits of this bird near Irvington in the win- 

 ter of 1886-7, in "The Auk," Vol. IV., July, 1887, pp. 193-196. 



The Red-headed Woodpecker is not as common as it formerly was. 

 When deadenings were numerous, the numbers of these Woodpeckers 

 therein is beyond estimate. To knoM' these birds as they were, one 

 should live where a deadening of beech timber was near a cherry 

 orchard. There, through June, times were lively and the gay, tri- 

 colored bird of which T wrote was one of the chief factors. 



The more attractive mating-call, Kurr-Tcurr, of a month before has 

 given place to the harsher Kahrr-Tcahrr, which sounds from woods, 

 fence stakes and cherry trees from sunrise till dark. They mate from 

 the first to the middle of May. The nest is in a dead snag or the dead 

 top of a live tree. Beech, maple, and sycamore, are most used here, 

 from 10 to 80 feet high. In prairie districts, fence posts and telegraph 

 poles are used. One egg is laid a day; incubation sometimes begins be- 

 fore the set is laid, and lasts about two weeks. Both parents, take part 

 in preparing the nest, incubating and caring for the young. But one 

 brood is reared a year. 



