56 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 8-No. 7 



Curious Nesting Place. This day, June 

 11, while on a visit to the mills at Law- 

 rence, Mass., we noticed a nest inside of 

 the depot gong. The gong- is about twelve 

 inches in diameter and about an inch and 

 a quarter from the wall. Three years ago 

 a jDair of House Sparrows built two or 

 three nests in this gong, but they were 

 pulled out by the baggage master, as they 

 deadened the sound of the gong. This 

 year they have built four nests. The third 

 one filled the entire gong except an 

 entrance hole, and the female laid a 

 full set of eggs and had commenced sit- 

 ting, and would not leave her nest on the 

 inside of the gong when it was struck for 

 departing trains. That nest and eggs was 

 pulled out and would fill a peck measure. 

 After this the gong was covered with a 

 wire netting, except a place for the ham- 

 mer to lift ap, and through this small hole 

 they have built their fourth nest this year. 

 Now that the gong is covered with netting 

 they are content with a small nest, seeming 

 to know that it is a protection. 



An Unrecorded Habit of the Red- 

 Headed ^A^oodpecke^. 



Several years ago my attention was 

 called by a farmer to a singiilar habit 

 which the Red-headed Woodpeckers in his 

 neighborhood had of robbing the nests of 

 Cliff Swallows. Since then I have collect- 

 ed numerous instances of the kind. 



The following incident I believe to be 

 true : Under the eaves of a large barn 

 near Mt. Sterling, O., a colony of Cliff 

 Swallows have built for some years. Last 

 year they were nearly exterminated by 

 several Woodpeckers. The Red-heads 

 would alight at the doors of the mud 

 huts and extract the eggs from the nests 

 Avith their bills. In some nests the necks 

 or entrance-ways were so long that the 

 Woodpeckers could not reach the eggs by 

 this means, but not willing to be cheated 

 of such choice food they would climb 

 around to the side, and with a few well di- 



rected blows of their bills make openings 

 large enough to enable them to procure 

 the eggs. Of the dozens of nests built 

 not a single brood was reared in any. 

 One Woodpecker bolder than the rest be- 

 gan eating hen's eggs wherever they could 

 be found. One morning the lady of the 

 house saw a woodpecker go into a barrel 

 in which she had a sitting of selected 

 hen's eggs. Suspecting his purpose she 

 hastened out and found that he had al- 

 ready broken one egg. The hen was off 

 feeding. Presently the hen returned. 

 Thinking all now safe the lady was about 

 to enter the house when a Woodpecker 

 alighted upon the barrel, and hopping 

 around the top, soon entered. The lady 

 hastened to the barrel and threw her apron 

 over the top and captured the thief. 



From my own observations and those of 

 others, the Red-headed Woodpecker, (M. 

 erythrocephahis,) must be placed among 

 the egg-sucking birds. — Howard Jones, 

 Circleville, Ohio. 



RuBY-CEOwNED KiNGLET. Noticing Mr. 

 Jencks' query in the June number of the 

 O. and O., I write to say that the female 

 Ruby-crowned Kinglet does occasionally 

 have a well-marked crown-patch. I know 

 of three such specimens, at least two of 

 which were dissected by a competent per- 

 son. In all three, however, the color of 

 the bright feathers is orange, not scarlet 

 as with the male. During my own collect- 

 ing I have never taken a female which had 

 the crown otherwise than jDerfectly plain, 

 and it is certain that this condition is the 

 normal one, even among fully adult birds. 

 Hence Mr. Jencks' note may be taken in 

 the main as a timely correction of a long 

 established error. — Wm. Bretoster, Cam- 

 hridge^ Mass. 



Index to Vol. VII is now ready and will 

 be mailed with this number to all who have 

 remitted twelve cents. 



RosE-BEEASTED Geosbeak. — Jas. J. Mc- 

 Carthy caught a male with bird lime in the 

 suburbs of Boston, June 11, '83. 



