146 



THK OOLOGiST. 



depth. The longest time taken by a 

 pair in excavating their hole that has 

 •oonie under my notice, was 12 days. 

 This was a nest 23 inches deep excav- 

 ated in an oak tree. The shortest was 

 four days, this in a willow stubb. 



The eggs are usually four in number, 

 sometimes live, and are laid on chips at 

 the bottom of the cavity. 



They measure from .90 to 1.05 in 

 length and from .60 to .75 in breadth, 

 and are pure ivory white in color with 

 a roseate tinge when unblown. 



Downy Woodpecker, Dryobates pub- 

 etcens. 



Resilient and tolerably common. This 

 is a more social species than the last 

 and is seen commonly about houses 

 toward the latter part of March. 



The nests of this species are begun 

 about May 15th and fresh set? may be 

 secured from then to June 1 ah. 



The holes take from two to te 

 in excavating and are t ht to 



fifteen inches deep and about two in-* 

 ches in diameter at the openi 



The holes are iisually m >ak or 



willow stubs. They breed abundantly 

 up the Minnesota River in the deal wil- 

 lows along the banks. Lsually 

 live sometimes four and rarely six or 

 seven. Pinkish white when unblown, 

 but fade (o a dull white when blown. 



They measure from .70 to .85 in 

 length and .GO to .05 in breadth. 



Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Sphyrapi- 

 eus varius. 



Fairly common summer resident, ar- 

 riving the first week in April, and from 

 then until the first or si >ek in 



May they may be commonly seen about 

 the maple trees in the cities, which are 

 punctured by them for the sap and 

 more commonly for the larvae and 

 insect- which lie under the bark. 



Towards the second week in May 

 they retire to the thick woods to breed, 

 where they excavate their holes in dead 

 trees, usually about twenty feet from 

 the ground' but occasionally much 

 higher. 



The eggs are laid by the first week in 

 June, and are usually four in number, 

 very rarely live. White like all other 

 Woodpecker's eggs, with roseate <tinge 

 when unblown. Two sets measure as 

 follows: ,80x.60, ,82x.59, .82x.62, .79x 

 .60 and .90x 67, .88x.65, .88x.65, .87x.G0. 

 Pileated Woodpecker. Ceophlocus pil- 

 eatus. 



Rare. This bird is rarely seen in this 

 locality (St. Paul), but is common 

 farther north. 



One nest was found last June in Dak- 

 ota county, which contained three eggs, 

 well incubated. Average measure- 

 ment l.oOx.98. 



Red-headed Woodpecker, M'lanerpes 

 erythrocephalus. 

 Common summer resident. Arrives 

 I the first of April. The birds pre- 

 fer to nest in the vicinity of houses and 

 do not resort to the woods unless mol- 

 ested. These birds nest almost any- 

 where making their holes in fence posts, 

 deserted houses and even chimneys. 

 The eggs are four to six in number 

 measure on an average 1 OOx 80. 

 This species will continue to lay like 

 the Flicker, provided a nest egg is left. 

 They leave early in October. 



Flicker, Yellow Hammer, etc., Colap- 

 ies ai.ii atus. 



Abundant summer resident, arriving 

 early in April and leaving late in Oc- 

 tober. 



Thes ; birds are very sociable but also 

 suspicious, and prefer to nest near 

 houses, but are not always permitted 

 to do so as they are often killed because 

 they bore into houses, commonly to get 

 out of reach of small boys. 



They are well known to lay a large 

 number of eggs when repeatedly robbed. 

 When not disturbed the average set 

 consists of seven eggs, often six and 

 sometimes eight or nine. Average 

 measurements 1.10x.90s. 



Walton Mitchell, 



St. Paul, Minn. 



