I'icru.K — THE w; (odpecfvEKS. i177 



though not always, iit iieousidemlilo height from the grouml. lie adds tliat 

 ho lias fVcciuently known them to tix (m the trunk of an ohl apple-tree, at a 

 height not more than six feet from the root. He also mentions as (juitc sur- 

 prising ihe sagaeily of this l)iril in discovering, under a sound l)ark, a lioUow 

 limlior trunk of a tree, and its perseverance in ])erforating it for purposes of 

 incuhation. The male and female alternately relieve and encourage each other 

 by mutual caresses, renewing their labors for several days, till the ol>jcct is 

 attrined, and the place rendered sulticiently capacicms, convenient, and secure. 

 Tliey are often so extremely intent upon their work as to he heard at iheii 

 labor till a very late hour in the night. Wilson mentions one instance where 

 he knew a pair to dig first five inches straight forward, and then downward 

 more than twice that distance, into a solid black-oak. They carry in no 

 materials for their nest, the soft chips and dust of the wo(jd serving for this 

 purpose. The female lays si.x white eggs, almost transi)arent, very thick at the 

 greater end, and tapering suddenly to the other. The young soon leave the 

 nest, climbing to the higher br.mches, where they are fed by their parents. 



According to Mr. Audubon this Woodpecker I'ears two broods in a season, 

 the usual number of eggs being six. In one instance, however, Mr. MacCul- 

 loch, quoted by Audubon, speaks of having found a nest in a rotten stump, 

 which contained no less than eighteen young birds, of varinus ages, and at 

 least two eggs not quite hatched. It is not im]irobalile that, in cases where 

 the number of eggs exceeds seven or eight, more females than one have von- 

 tributed to the inunber. In one instance, upon sawing off the decayed to]i 

 of an old tree, in which these birds had a nest, twelve eggs were found. 

 These were not molested, but, on visiting the place a few days after, I found 

 the excavation to have been deepened from eighteen to twenty -four inches. 



Mr. C. S. Paine, of IJandoljjh, Vt., writing in October, 18G0, furnishes some 

 interesting observations made in regard to these birds in the central i)art of 

 that State. He says, " This Woodpecker is very common, and makes its ap- 

 pearance about the 20th of April. Between the 1st and the loth of ]\Iay it 

 usually commences boring a hole for the nest, and deposits its eggs tlie last 

 of May or the first of June." He found three nests that year, all of whicli 

 were in old stumps on the banks of a small stream. Each nest contained 

 seven eggs. The boy who took them out was able to do so without any cut- 

 ting, and found them at the depth of his elbow. In another nest there were 

 but three eggs when first discovered. The limb was cut down nearly to a 

 level with the eggs, which were taken. The next day the nest had been 

 deepened a whole foot and another egg deposited. Mr. Paine has never 

 known thein go into thick woods to breed, but they seem rather to ]nv- 

 fer the edges of woods. He has never known one to lireed in an old cavity, 

 but in one instance a pair selected a partially decayed stump for their opera- 

 tions. When they are disturbed, they sometimes fly around their nests, utter- 

 ing shrill, sqi'.eaking notes, occasionally intermixing with them guttural or 

 gurgling tones. 



vol.. II. 73 



