Plate XL, IV 



MELANERPES ERYTHROCEPHALUS-Red~headed Woodpecker. 



This species is a permanent resident, but not so plentiful in winter as in summer. The site for the 

 nest is chosen in May, sometimes earlier. The pair work at intervals for several days, or even weeks, ex- 

 cavating the cavity, according as the wood is soft or hard, or according as they are hurried to complete it. 

 After it is finished some days generally elapse before the eggs are deposited. The usual time for incuba- 

 tion is the first two weeks of June. Ordinarily but one brood is reared, but occasionally two sets of c^s 

 are hatched, in which case a second nest may be excavated, or the first may answer for both broods. 



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LOCALITY : 



But little preference is displayed in selecting a locality for a nest. High dry hills and damp low 

 valleys, and all points between, are alike frequented, provided a suitable situation can be found. In the 

 country, the majority of nests are in the dead limbs or trunks of large trees standing about the borders 

 of woods or in fields. Frequently the nest is to be seen ina gate-post, telegraph-pole, or even in a fence- 

 post, along the most public road. In town, the dead limb of any orchard-tree or shade-tree may furnish 

 the site, but it is not often that the Woodpecker deserts the country for a city residence. 



POSITION : 



Usually the nest is in a perpendicular limb or trunk, but. sometimes an horizontally inclined branch 

 is selected. In this case the entrance is on the under surface. The distance from the ground varies from 

 three or four to one hundred feet; ordinarily it is between eight and twenty feet. 



MATERIALS : 



No materials are carried for the nest. The only requisite is a suitably situated piece of wood, large 

 enough for the cavity and soft enough for the birds to excavate. Dead wood is most frequently selected. 

 Sometimes, however, living wood is chosen. The diameter of the wood varies from that of a man's arm 

 to several feet. The Woodpecker begins by picking a conical hole which is projected at about right 

 angles to the external surface until it has entered a sufficient distance, generally three or four inches 

 then a large curve is made, and the "excavation continued at right angles to its previous course for a 

 depth varying from two to twelve inches, usually about four inches. The entrance is circular, and rarely 

 varies in diameter more than one-eighth of an inch from one and three-fourths inches. At the bend the 

 cavity begins to enlarge, reaching its greatest diameter, commonly about three and one-half inches, about 

 one inch from the bottom. Between the bend and the bottom it is not always circular, often beino- half 

 an inch or more greater in one diameter than another. The eggs generally rest upon a few soft chips. 



EGGS : 



The complement of eggs is generally five, sometimes one more or one less, The shell is pure white, 



147 



