iSSS.] Bendire on the Habits of the Gcniis Sfhyraficus. 233 



occupied by these birds, during the nesting season of 18S3, I am 

 inclined to believe that they are only satisfied with an entirely 

 new burrow every year, and not simply with an old one repaired 

 to answer the purpose. These same chips are an extremely 

 simple and sure guide to their nest. 



In hunting for them I looked for the chips on the ground 

 first, and after finding these it did not take long to find the hole 

 from which they came. In this manner it was an easy matter 

 to find their nest, and I took no less than fifteen sets of their 

 eggs in a single season, and might have taken more had I been 

 so inclined, especially by following up the birds for their second 

 set, where they had been robbed previously. Ordinarily but 

 one brood is raised in a season. 



The number of eggs varies from five to six to a set. Full sets 

 of fresh eggs may be looked for in that localit}' from May 20 to 

 June 5, and I have taken nearly fresh eggs as late as June 13 ; 

 I took my first set on May 33, 1883. It contained six fresh eggs, 

 and the burrow was about seven inches deep, the entrance about 

 eight inches below and directly under the first limb of the tree, 

 as usual a live aspen, about 18 feet from the ground. While the 

 nest was being rifled of its contents, both parents flew about the 

 upper limbs of the tree, uttering a number of different sounding 

 plaintive cries, like peeya, pinck, and peurr, some of these 

 resembling somewhat the purring of a cat when pleased and 

 rubbing against your leg. I used to note the difl^erent sounds 

 in a small note book at the very time, but scarcely ever put them 

 down alike ; each time they appeared a trifle different to the 

 ear, and it is a hard matter to express them exactly on paper. 



The eggs, when fresh and before blowing, like those of all 

 Woodpeckers, show the yolk through the translucent shell, 

 giving them a beautiful pinkish appearance, as well as a series 

 of straight lines or streaks of a more pronounced white than the 

 rest of the shell, running towards and converging at the smaller 

 axis of the egg. After blowing, the pink tint will be found to 

 have disappeared, and the egg changed to a pure delicate white, 

 the shell showing a moderate amount of lustre. There is con- 

 siderable variation in their shape, running through all the differ- 

 ent ovates to an elongated ovate. The average measurements of 

 sixty specimens now before me are .94 X .68 inches ; the largest 

 egg in the lot measuring i.oo X .70, the smallest .^6 x .6S 

 inches. 



