198 NOTES ON NEW ENGLAND BIRDS 



more security and momentousness than the spring. The 

 summer's eternity is reestablished by this note. All 

 sisrhts and sounds are seen and heard both in time 

 and eternity. And when the eternity of any sight or 

 sound strikes the eye or ear, they are intoxicated with 

 delight. 



April 23, 1852. Heard the pigeon woodpecker to-day, 

 that long-continued unmusical note, — somewhat like a 

 robin's, heard afar, — yet pleasant to hear because as- 

 sociated with a more advanced stage of the season. 



April 6, 1853. Returning by Harrington's, saw a 

 pigeon woodpecker flash away, showing the rich golden 

 under side of its glancing wings and the large whitish 

 spot on its back, and presently I heard its familiar 

 long-repeated loud note, almost familiar as that of a 

 barn-door fowl, which it somewhat resembles. 



June 21, 1853. Where the other day I saw a pigeon 

 woodpecker tapping and enlarging a hole in the dead 

 limb of an apple tree, when as yet probably no egg was 

 laid, to-day I see two well-grown young woodpeckers 

 about as big as the old, looking out at the hole, show- 

 ing their handsome spotted breasts and calling lustily 

 for something to eat, or, it may be, suffering from the 

 heat. Young birds in some situations must suffer 

 greatly from heat these days, so closely packed in their 

 nests and perhaps insufficiently shaded. It is a wonder 

 they remain so long there patiently. I saw a yellow- 

 bird's ^ nest in the willows on the causeway this after- 

 noon and three young birds, nearly ready to fly, over- 

 flowing the nest, all holding up their open bills and 



^ [The summer yellowbird, or yellow warbler.] 



