THE RED-BELLIED WOODPECKEE. 123 



quently in pines. Several excavations are often found in the same tree in which 

 the nest is located, and occasionally the same site, with slight repairs, is used for 

 more than one season. Mr. E. A. Mcllhenny tells me that this species is quite 

 common near Alton, Illinois, where he saw an enormous cottonwood tree, stand- 

 ing near the banks of Wood River, occupied by several pairs of these birds, the 

 tree being fau'ly riddled with their holes. 



Mr. D. B. Burrows, of Lacon, Marshall County, Illinois, has kindly sent 

 me the following notes on this species, as observed by him: 



"The Red-bellied Woodpecker is a fairly common species in this section, 

 and is found in the river bottoms, in the bluffs, or in the small timber tracts 

 bordering the prairies. I also met with this species frequently in southern 

 Arkansas, and found it to be the most common Woodpecker in north central 

 Texas, and there it frequently makes its nest in telegraph poles. During the 

 nesting season I have found the birds to be quite noisy about the nest, and in 

 several instances have discovered the site, while building, by the noisy call of 

 the bird; a search would reveal the female clinging to the tree just beneath the 

 opening. Sometimes I have observed her standing motionless for quite a while, 

 as though resting from her labors. This bird is a good nest builder, and with 

 its sharp bill is able to excavate cavities in living trees. I have never found a 

 nest in a tree that was wholly dead. Sometimes the dead extremity of an 

 upright branch of a living tree is used, and again I have found the nest in the 

 trunk of a living tree; in two instances I have found second-growth, living- 

 black oaks used, the nest cavity being about halfway uj), where the body of the 

 tree was not more than 7 inches in diameter. The birds do not seem to be 

 particular as to the kind of tree used, as I have found them in many diiferent 

 species. The nest ranges from 15 to 60 feet from the ground. When it is 

 reached, the birds fl}^ about uneasily, uttering their oft-rej)eated "cha-cha-cha," 

 and I have had the female alight on the same branch that I was on and but a 

 few feet distant. 



"In this part of Illinois the nesting season begins in April. I have taken 

 fresh eggs as early as May 2 and as late as June 6, and have found young in 

 the nest as early as the latter part of April, so that in some instances eggs are 

 deposited quite early. I have never found more than four eggs to the clutch in 

 this locality. In central Texas I took the first full set of five eggs on April 23, 

 and believe they do not begin to nest much earlier in their southern range than 

 they do here. The eggs taken from this locality average much larger than my 

 Texas specimens, and five eggs to the clutch are not uncommon farther south." 



Both sexes assist in excavating the nesting site, as well as in incubation, 

 which lasts about fourteen days. The sites selected are usually from 5 to 70 

 feet from the ground, and resemble those of our other Woodpeckers in every 

 respect, averaging about 12 inches in depth. It takes from seven to ten days 

 to excavate a nest, and frequently the birds rest for a Aveek. afterwards before 

 beginning- to lay ; an egg is deposited daily, and from three to five are usually 

 laid to a set, rarely more. Climate seems to affect the time of their nesting very 



