40 Philipp and Bowdish, New Brunswick Birds. [s&n. 



Asio flammeus. Short-eared Owl. — A nest containing six well 

 incubated eggs was found, June 11, 1918, on the same beach where the two 

 nests with young were located on June 19, 1915, and within a few feet of 

 the site of one of the earlier nests. 



Dryobates villosus leucomelas. Northern Hairy Woodpecker. — 

 A nest with young was found in a dead maple stub in a burnt barren, on 

 May 29, 1917. On May 30 of the same year another nest about fifteen 

 feet up in a dead maple stub in a similar situation, contained four eggs, 

 very slightly incubated. On June 9, 1917, a third nest in a cedar telephone 

 pole beside a public road was examined. It was at a height of about nine 

 feet; cavity 14J inches deep; entrance 2\ inches in height by 2\ inches in 

 width. This nest contained four nearly fresh eggs. 



Picoides arcticus. Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker. — One ot the 

 objects of the early visit to New Brunswick in 1917 was further investiga- 

 tion of the nesting of this species. These woodpeckers, however, appeared 

 to be markedly affected by the general lateness of the season, and at the 

 time of our arrival it is evident that some of them had not commenced 

 digging nest excavations. On May 22 a nest hole was located in a dead 

 maple stub, near the edge of a large burnt barren, and a short distance 

 from the edge of mixed woods. The male was in the cavity at the time 

 of this visit, and the female came to the stub during the time of our stay. 

 On the following day we again visited the nest stub, and with a large 

 auger bit " tapped " the nest hole, finding that no eggs had yet been laid. 

 The male was again in the hole and remained in it until tapping operations 

 were well under way. The tap hole was carefully plugged, and plug and 

 surrounding surface rubbed with soft, rotten wood. This nest was again 

 visited on May 30, on which occasion the male was found sitting on four 

 eggs, incubation having just commenced. The eggs having been removed, 

 the plug was replaced, and while we were still close to the stub the male 

 re-entered and had not emerged when we lost sight of the stub, as we left 

 the locality. During this visit the female was not seen. It may be sur- 

 mised that when she returned and discovered the condition of affairs, her 

 worthy spouse had some explaining to do. 



On June 19 we again visited this nest and found the male looking out 

 of the entrance, as we approached. The nest was found to contain five 

 well incubated eggs. The birds did not again use the nest, although the 

 plug was replaced. 



On May 25 we succeeded in " lining" the various flights of a watched 

 female bird, to where a nest excavation was well under way in a live 

 balsam with dead heart, some two hundred feet into the mixed woods, 

 from the edge of a clearing covered with stubs and small second growth. 

 This excavation was at a height of only about four feet. 



On June 6 the female bird was found sitting on three slightly incubated 

 eggs. No difficulty was experienced in getting all the photographs de- 

 sired of this bird about the nest entrance and looking out of it: in fact it 

 was much more difficult to prevent her entering too quickly, even while 



