BIRDS OF THE PAPAGO SAGUARO NATIONAL MONUMENT. 51 



The nests were placed at different heights, those in the giant cactus rang- 

 ing from 14 feet to the limit of the plant, about 35 feet. As my ladder was 

 only 14 feet long, the nests higher than 20 feet were inaccessible, except in 

 the special cases already mentioned. Many of the nests seen were more 

 than 20 feet from the ground, and as a rule the Gila woodpecker seemed to 

 place the nests higher in the cactus than did the gilded flicker. They appear 

 to select large plants and to patronize the same one for several years, as 

 many unoccupied holes may be seen in it. Unoccupied that is, as far as the 

 woodpecker is concerned, for the old holes are often used by other birds. I 

 have never found two of these woodpeckers occupying the same tree, but fre- 

 quently a gilded flicker, elf owl, and ash-throated flycatcher might be next- 

 door neighbors, and all housed under the same roof, as it were. In cotton- 

 woods and willows there could not be so much choice as to height, for the site 

 was decided by the location of soft or decayed wood, and sometimes the nest 

 would be closer to the ground. In some stumps I have found the nests only 5 

 feet from the ground, in other cases as high as 30 feet or more. * * * 



The height of the nesting season is evidently from the middle of April to 

 the middle of May. Of 13 occupied nests examined, 12 were found in May, 

 8 of them containing young. May 10 was the latest date that eggs were 

 found. July 10 I found three young about half grown, which might indicate 

 that a second brood was sometimes raised. * * * 



It is not easy to determine just what food the young in the nest are given, 

 but insects play a prominent part, as I have seen them frequently carried to 

 the young. Fruit is also used, as I watched one parent carry ripe Lyciurn 

 berries several times to the nest; after emerging from the hole she would 

 halt at the entrance each time and " lick her chops." 



The old birds show much concern when the nest is approached, and remon- 

 strate most volubly; if the young are handled and caused to cry, the old 

 ones use terrible language. The birds are not very close sitters as a rule, but 

 I cut into one nest without seeing any owner around and found her on the 

 nest with three young just hatched and one egg pipped. She was not sick or 

 stupid either, judging from the noise she made and the fight she put up, but 

 was merely on the job and surely " on the peck." A new-looking hole in a 

 cottonwood stump only 5 feet from the ground was noticed, and, quietly ap- 

 proaching, I placed my fingers over the entrance. I soon received a vigorous 

 peck from the lady of the house, who was " coming up " with a mouth full of 

 sawdust. I took her by the chin and drew her as gently as possible from 

 the hole, but after petting her awhile released her, for she made more noise 

 than a sitting hen. Mr. Pinkley, at the Casa Grande ruins, showed me a giant 

 cactus that had been moved to their yard from a distance of a quarter of a 

 mile. The cactus at the time of removal contained a nest of young wood- 

 peckers, and the mother followed it up and raised the family to maturity, with 

 the exception of one youngster that became impaled on a thorn at the entrance 

 to the nest. 



The young are fed by the parents for a long time after leaving the nest, and 

 they are regular little beggars. One pair stayed around our house for several 

 months and became quite tame. They were missed during the breeding season, 

 but soon came back with three youngsters to share the good things found on 

 the bird tables in the yard. The young, although as large as their parents, 

 would flutter their wings and sit with open beak, as though the old ones told 

 them to " open your mouth and shut your eyes," etc. The old ones would try 

 to get them to eat watermelon placed on the tables, but the babies would not 

 be shown ; the parents had to put it in their mouths. They followed the parents 



