44 



THE 00IXXH8T 



it. The nest contained the remains 

 of a frog. 



"May 20. We visited the nest this 

 morning. The primaries were begin- 

 ning to open and both young were do- 

 ing well. Both parents were circling 

 overhead and as we were about to 

 leave another hawk joined them. All 

 three kept up a continuous screaming. 

 We found no food in or about the nest. 



"May 27. I visited the nest for the 

 last time, in company with George 

 Ewing. The female was the only par- 

 ent in sight, but the male appeared as 

 soon as I started up the tree. We 

 could see both young from the ground. 

 As soon as I got to the nest I held the 

 largest nestling up and was shot with 

 the camera, in the hands of my friend. 

 The only down on the two nestlings 

 was confined to their heads and under- 

 pays. 



I drew the camera up and took sev- 

 eral pictures on a level with the nest, 

 and then climbed on above the nest 

 and took a picture from there. The 

 downy white heads of the two looked 

 like skulls as they braced themselves 

 and peered upward, watching my 

 movements. This time there was the 

 body of a Cardinal as food for the two. 

 Although the two young appeared to 

 have plenty to eat, we found only the 

 remains of the three things as named 

 above, viz: Garter Snake, Frog and 

 Cardinal. 



I was sorry not to have been able to 

 visit the nest again but I was compell- 

 ed to be out of town for two weeks. 

 The young were nearly ready to leave 

 the nest when we visited it on the 

 27th, and I expect they left by the 2d 

 of June. F'inlay Simmons. 



Houston, Texas. 



The Rolling Call of the Pileated 

 Woodpecker. 



By Ernest Waters Vickers. 

 When the January and February 



thaws come, one of the pleasantest 

 sounds that greets the rustic's ear is 

 the tapping of the woodpeckers. From 

 the little downy woodpecker up it is 

 a habit of the whole family of Picida. 

 It is variously used to keep in touch 

 with companions, to call to pardners 

 already selected or selecting for the 

 breeding season or as a general ex- 

 pression of exuberant good will toward 

 creation at large. In fact I am not 

 sure but it is regarded as music among 

 the members of the tribe for they are 

 very pleasant xylophones as they 

 come from the otherwise silent thaw- 

 ing woods. Each species has his pecu- 

 liar style of rolling call by which the 

 ornithologist distinguishes him. 



But above all the rest in power and 

 impressiveness, is the masterly roll 

 of the great Log-cock or Pileated 

 Woodpecker. Not only is it one of the 

 most notable sounds of spring but once 

 heard it can never be forgotten. This 

 roll is composed of twelve strokes or 

 blows, forming an ascending and de- 

 scending climax; increasing in rapid- 

 ity and volume to the middle and dying 

 in force and rapidity just as it began, 

 While the bird may not give the com- 

 plete roll, may break off anywhere, it 

 is always, so far as I have heard, a 

 part of the above. It might be pic- 

 tured in dashes, accelerating in time 

 and power and diminishing in exactly 

 the same way. A mellow yet powerful 

 cellular jar to which the whole wooded 

 heart of the forest makes echoing re- 

 sponse — a solemn and ancient sound 

 like the muffled blow of the wood- 

 man's ax yet older and more antique 

 than that even, for the time was when 

 the Logcock was the only wood cut- 

 ter and his chips alone strewed the 

 forest floor. 



Thus one March I heard one drum- 

 ming far away on a sounding board 

 of peculiar musical resonance and 

 power to carry, and the sudden desire 



