42 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



small fish. A female nearly ready to deposit eggs was shot October 9. The 

 bh'ds made their appearance rather late in the morning, usually after 8 o'clock, 

 and at times spent several hours of the day up there. Although the birds 

 appeared to have their home at this place, I did not, on any of my numerous 

 trips up the creek, discover the site."^ 



From Mr. Richmond's observations it would appear as if C. torqaata nested 

 at all times of the year. 



The most northern Mexican record for this species is, I believe, the one 

 from Rio de las Ramos, State of Nuevo Leon, in about latitude 25° 30'. This 

 specimen was obtained b}^ Mr. W. Lloyd, on February 28, 1891, and is now in 

 the collection of the United States Department of Agriculture. 



I have been unable to find a more accurate description of the eggs of this 

 species than the one above given, but, judging from the size of the bird, they 

 should be considerably larger than those of C. alcyon. 



Family YIGIDM. Woodpeckers. 

 15. Campephilus principalis (Linn^us) 



IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER. 



Picus principalis Linn^bus, Systema Naturre, ed. 10, I, 1758, 113. 

 Campephilus principalis Gray, List Genera of Birds, 1840, 54. 

 (B 72, 293, R 359, 431, U 392.) 



Geographical range: South Atlantic aud Gulf States; north to the southern 

 portions of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas; west to south- 

 eastern Texas. Formerly north to North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, southern Indiana, 

 Illinois, southern Missouri, and the southern parts of the Indian Territory. 



The Ivory-billed Woodpecker, also called "White-billed Woodpecker," 

 "White-billed Logcock" and "Woodcock," is the largest representative of this 

 family found in the United States, being a resident of the mainland and the 

 numerous islands along the south Atlantic and Gulf coasts and breeding wherever 

 found. In former years its range was mucli more extended than it is at present; 

 then it peneti-ated well into the interior, along the shores of the Mississippi River 

 and its larger tributaries, having been reported from White County, Illinois; 

 Franklin County, Indiana, and Franklin County, Tennessee, as well as at other 

 points inland. At present it appears to be fairly abundant in Florida, in portions 

 of southern Mississippi along the Yazoo River, and in the extensive swamps in 

 southern Louisiana. In the first-mentioned State Mr. Arthur T. Wayne obtained 

 not less than thirteen specimens in the month of April, 1893, and about ten more 

 were seen. He says, "A young female taken April 15 was about two weeks 

 from the nest. I never observed it singly, it being always seen in company with 

 two or three others of this species. I was told by old hunters that they breed 

 early in February. The locality where this bird is to be found at all times is in 



' Proceediugs of the U. S. National Museum, Vol. XVI, pp. 510,511. 



