552 



NoliTIl AMEiaCAN UIUDS. 



it, and tlirro liad youiii;. lid'oro they were lialf thrown tlu; Woodpeckers 

 returned to tlie place, uiid, despite the tiie.s and reiterateil attacks of the 

 lUnehirds, took out tlie youn<; and carried them away to some distance. 

 Next, tlie nest itself was disposed of, the hole cleaned and eidarj^^Ml, and 

 there tlu'V raised their l)ro<»d. The tree was lar!j;e, hut so situated that Dr. 

 Bachman could reach the nest from tlie iuanehes of anotlier. Tlie hole was 

 eijj:hteen inches deej), and he could touch the Ixjttoin with his hand. The 

 ei^'^^s, six in nuniher, were laid on fragments of chips CApressly left l»y the 

 birds, and were lari^c, white, and translucent. liefore the Woodpeckers began 

 to sit, he rohhed them of their eggs to see if they would lay a second time. 

 They waited a few days as if undecided, and then he heard the female at 

 work again, deepening the hole and making it hroader at the bottom. She 

 soon recommenced laying, this time depositing five eggs. He su tiered her 

 to bring out her young, both birds alternately incubating, and each visiting 

 the other at intervals, looking in at the hole to see if all were right and well 

 there, and Hying off afterwards in search of food. When the young were 

 old enough, he took them home and endeavored to raise them. Three 

 died, ref* sing all food. With two he was more successful. Hut even these 

 he found untamable and destructive and troublesome pets, which he was at 

 last glad to release. 



Dr. Cooper, who oliserved this species in AV"asliington Territory, discovered 

 a pair early in April on Whitby's Island, liurrowing out a hole for their 

 nest in a dead trunk, about thirty feet from the ground. They worked alter- 

 nately, and were very watchful, keejung perfectly silent while they heard any 

 noise near by. lie found the place by noticing chips on the bushes below, 

 and after watching silently for some time, one of them liegan to work, now 

 and then ]n'otruding its bill full of chips, and, after cautiously looking round, 

 dro2)i)ing them. 



According to ^Fr. i\ S. Paine, of Kandolph, Vt., the Tileated Woodpecker 

 is very rare in \'ermont, and extremely shy. It is ditticult to a])proach one 

 nearer than from fifteen to twenty rods, except by surprise. He adds that 

 in only a single instance has he been able to shoot one. This fell with a 

 broken wing, liefore he could reach it, the l)ird commenced climbing a tree, 

 and nearly escaped. When overtaken, it fought furiously, and wounded Mr. 

 Paine severely in the hand, setting up at the same time a loud outcry, not 

 unlike that of a dimiestic hen. He has never met with its nest, although he 

 has several times seen the voung when just able to leave :t. The elder 

 Mr. Paine states that, some fifty years previous, this species was abundant in 

 Vermont, and not at all timid, and is of the opinion that their present shy- 

 ness is all that exempts them from extermination. 



Mr. Dresser found this Woodpecker resident and quite numerous in Texas 

 near all the large rivers, where the timber is heavy. A few were seen on 

 the ^lediiia, and their eggs obtained there, but they were not abundant in 

 that district. On the Colorado and Brazos Itivers these birds were verv com- 



