THE OOLOGIST. 



69 



We shall entertain our readers iu next 

 number with an article on "Albinism," by 

 Mr. C. J. Maynard. As this subject is 

 one over which there has been and is no , 

 little controversy, and one also containing 

 much interest, we triist our readers will 

 find in this paper a valuable addition to the . 

 facts and theories advanced by other ob- j 

 servers and experimenters. 



On the Nesting of Picus viilosus. 



fTHE rough wooded country of Herkimer 

 County, N. Y., affords many suitable | 

 nesting places for the Hairy Woodpecker, ' 

 and with its neighbor and congener, the 

 Downy Woodpecker, it is rather common ' 

 in the nesting season. Its particular re- 

 sorts are the steep, forest-covered side hills 

 and I'idges, where the predominating trees 

 are hemlo(;k and spruce. Observation of 

 the habits of this bird at all seasons of the 

 year, has led us to believe that it is much 

 commoner about districts of this character 

 than elsewhere, and the uumbeidess punc- 

 tures fotmd on the trunks of the hemlock, 

 would indicate the common visitation of ei- 

 ther this bird or the Downy Woodpecker to 

 tliis tree for food, and the more frequent 

 observation of the Hairy Woodpecker in 

 the act of searching the bark, would indi- 

 cate its predominance over P. puhescens in 

 localities where that tree is most numerous. 

 The tall, decayed stumps of time-worn 

 hemlocks form apparently the object of this 

 bird's search for the purposes of nesting, 

 for as age and decay attack them, not only 

 does the wood become more yielding than 

 that of many other trees, but the heavy up- 

 per limbs part at the base, leaving often a 

 partial aperture which there is little difficul- 

 ty in enlarging ; yet, probably the greater 

 number of nests are entirely excavated by 

 the birds, as they are usually positioned 

 directly beneath a projecting limb. In an 

 upland wood of small extent, composed 

 mostly of decayed trees, four nests were 

 found in a short time, in proximity to each 

 other. The only other species found nest- 



ing in this wood, after a two days' contin- 

 ued search, was the Downy Woodpecker, 

 while in an adjacent patch (about two miles 

 distant) of nearly the same character, with 

 exception that tlie predominating trees were 

 not evergreens as in tlie former wood, the 

 Yellow- shafted and Red-headed Woodpeck- 

 ers were the only Ficidce to be foimd. All 

 the nests of the Hairy Woodpecker found 

 wei'e very high up and in almost inaccessi- 

 ble trees. Tliough the birds were detected 

 in all these cases in entering or emerging 

 from the nest, the only one of the four to 

 which access could be had, Avas in the top 

 of a hemlock tree of huge dimensions. This 

 nest contained four young l)irds, to find 

 which instead of eggs, as every collector 

 v>'ho has had any experience knows, is no 

 little disappointment. The nest was quite 

 deep, and had no lining whatever ; the young 

 appeared to rest upon simply the chips and 

 wood-dust in the bottom. 



Near the village of Fairfield, in Herki- 

 mer County, a wooded ridge of considerable 

 length, bordered on either side by a deep 

 gully, was found for several seasons to be 

 a favorite resort of the Hairy Woodpeckers, 

 and the abundance of standing dead timber 

 probably increased the favorableness of the 

 place for breeding purposes. A majority 

 of these decayed trees had a number of holes 

 in their trunks, which, from the frequency 

 of the birds and the absence of other Wood- 

 peckers — excepting the Downy species — 

 were probably in a great part, nesting places 

 of the Hairy Woodpecker. Eggs were ob- 

 tained from two of these holes, three from 

 each, and judging the date on which they 

 were taken to be about the beginning of the 

 season of oviposition, it is probable that the 

 eggs are deposited as early as the first or 

 middle of A^jril. The eggs taken measured 

 on the average .88 by .71 of an inch, were 

 ovoid in shape, glossy white, thick-shelled 

 and semi-transparent. 



If space permits, we shall publish in our 

 next one or more engravings of rare eggs. 



