JOURNAL OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



loud, clear, yet plaintive whistle of a 

 Pine Grosbeak. 



Our route led up the course of a 

 trout-brook where a flock of Redpolls 

 (A. linaria) were discovered, picking 

 from its frozen surface the fallen seeds 

 of the Speckled Alder (Alnus incana) 

 that overhung its bank, while a small 

 flock of Kinglets (Regulus satrapa) 

 gossiped in their chit-chat way from 

 the recesses of a clump of Balsam 

 Firs that stood on a knoll just back 

 from the brook's margin. 



A Northern Shrike (Lauius borealis) 

 was seen perched upon the top of a 

 dead tree in the tamarack swamp, and 

 as we observed it, a short dive into 

 a thicket showed that like ourselves it 

 was on the watch for birds; but doubt- 

 less our motives were different. 



An Artie Three-toed Woodpecker 

 (Picoides arcticus) that was discovered 

 hammering away upon a fallen tree 

 was so intent in his efforts to obtain a 

 breakfast that we were able to ap- 

 proach until within about forty feet 

 of him where for several minutes we 

 studied this individual at short range. 

 It was a male of splendid plumage, and 

 the bright saffron crown-patch stood 

 out in striking contrast to the glossy 

 blackness of the head and body. 



These handsome birds are quite 

 common in this vicinity from Nov. 

 15th until about March 1st, and 

 form an interesting feature in our 

 avian life. We also heard the loud 

 rapping of the Hairy Woodpecker 

 (Dryobates villosus) but its shyness 

 prevented our getting a view of the 

 bird. 



Throughout the walk thus far we 

 had anxiously watched and listened 

 for sight or sound indicative of the 

 presence of that king of northern 

 Picidae, but as yet had received no 

 hint that this forest had ever sheltered 

 him. But as we pushed farther into 

 the heavy timber growth there sud- 

 denly rung out upon the frosty air a 

 sound like the stroke of a woodchop- 

 per's ax driven poll on to the bole of a 

 tree. The familiar sound was repeated 

 at intervals, and cautiously approach- 

 ing the spot we were soon enabled to 

 locate the author of it in the presencp 

 of a magnificent specimen of the 

 Pileated Woodpecker (Ceophlueus 

 pileatus). The bird, which was a male, 

 appeared to be engaged in the business 

 of stripping a dead pine of its bark, 



and we reckoned he would soon be out 

 of a job, at least so far as that tree 

 was concerned, if the strips and sheets 

 of bark that covered the snow about 

 the base of the tree afforded any facts 

 that could be used as a basis for our 

 calculations. He would draw back the 

 head to the fullest extent of the long 

 neck and strike several powerful blows 

 with that heavy wedge-shaped bill 

 which usually resulted in a section of 

 bark starting from the wood, when the 

 bill would be inserted in the cavity as 

 a lever, and a good sized portion of 

 the outer covering of the tree would 

 be removed and allowed to fall to the 

 snow below. Sometimes a smaller 

 loosened section would be caught by 

 its edge with the bill and with a sud- 

 den, dexterous jerking movement of 

 the head it would be thrown several 

 feet from the tree. 



The sharp chisel-shaped bill driven 

 by the powerful muscles of the head 

 and neck form an admirable instru- 

 ment for drilling into the interior of 

 unsound trees, and many monarchs 

 of the forest growth bear mute testi- 

 mony to the fact that Pileatus knows 

 how to use the implements of his 

 craft with which nature has provided 

 him. 



But the morning hours were waning 

 and slowly we turned our steps home- 

 ward. We had communed with Na- 

 ture and observed how she deals with 

 her dwellers of the field and wood; 

 we had been permitted to approach 

 near to some of her humbler creatures 

 and learn something of their lives; 

 and now we reluctantly bade fare- 

 well to these interesting scenes to re- 

 turn to the haunts of man and the 

 busy marts of trade. But the hours 

 we had spent in communion with God's 

 handiwork had done us good, its im- 

 press had been left upon our lives, and 

 the duties and cares of the succeeding 

 days weighed less heavily upon our 

 minds because of the stimulus to both 

 the intellectual and spiritual nature 

 acquired during that winter day's 

 walk. SANFORD RICHIE. 



Piscataquis Co., Dover, Me. 



'LISTEN TO THE MOCKING BIRD." 



(Title of Alice Hawthorne's Song.) 

 The Mocking bird, which, in extent 

 and variety of vocal powers, stands 

 unrivaled by the feathered songsters 



