120 General Notes. 



plains bordering the Black River. Cheboygan County, my attention was 

 attracted bv the peculiar cry of a Woodpecker on a tree near the road, 

 which at a glance I saw was a new bird to me; being secured it proved to 

 Ik- Picoides arcticus. Five specimens were taken at this time, two males 

 and three females. Again on the 14th of August, on the pine plains along 

 the Sturgeon River, I shot a female of this species which showed conclu- 

 sive evidence of having bred in the vicinity. Others were seen at this 

 time hut not secured. 



August 10, 1SS0. while encamped on the Sturgeon River, a flock of eight 

 or ten Canada fays were seen early one morning about camp ; one adult 

 male and one young male of the present season were taken. Although 

 1 have passed five summers collecting through the northern part of 

 the state, this is the first time I have met with Perisoreus canadensis. — 

 Chas. \V. Gunn, Grand Rapids, Mich. 



Capture of the Red-bellied Woodpecker (Centurus carolinus) in 

 Eastern Massachusetts. — A female of this species was taken by Mr. 

 William Adair in a chestnut grove in Newton, November 25, 1S80. The 

 male was seen and wounded but was not secured. — GORDON Plum.mik. 

 Boston, Mass. 



Novel Nesting-sites of Woodpeckers (Colaptes auratus and Mel- 

 anerpes erythrocephalus. ) — Havingoften wondered where the above-named 

 birds breed when seen on the open prairies forty or fifty miles from any 



timber the whole summer. 1 promised some farmer boys a suitable reward 

 if they would find their nests anywhere outside of hollow trees and was 

 most agreeably rewarded in being shown two nests of the Golden-winged 

 Woodpecker and one of the Red-headed in rather queer quarters. One 

 nest ot the former was in an old wagon huh. about two t'eet from the ground, 

 and hidden by a rank growth of weeds. The other was in a hollow formed 

 by two large willow-sticks that formed part of a hay roof over a cattle-shed. 

 The nest of the Red-head was in the angle formed by the shares of an 

 upturned plow. In no instance was there any attempt at nest-building, 

 the newly-hatched young ones resting on some dirt and rubbish. — G. S. 

 Agersborg, Vermillion, Dakota. 



An unaccountable migration of the Red-headed Woodpecker. — 

 Ordinarily this species (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) is decidedly the 

 most numerous of the Woodpeckers in Southeastern Illinois, while during 

 the winter season it is often so excessivelv common in the sheltered 

 bottom-lands as to outnumber all other species together, and. in fact, is 

 voted a decided nuisance by the hunter, sportsman, or collector, on account 

 of its well known habit of following any one carrying a gun, and anno\ ing 

 him by its continued chatter; at intervals sweeping before him and thus 

 diverting attention. Being at this season always semi-gregarious, while 

 thev are of all Woodpeckers the most restless and sportive, the annoyance 

 which thev thus cause is really no trifling matter. 



