■ CONSPICUOUSLY BLACK AND WHITE 371 



Tahoe and are not at all difficult to watch. The site 

 chosen for a nest is oftenest in the sheltered woods, 

 where they excavate in the trunk of a dead tree. One 

 that I watched was situated about ten feet from the 

 ground; standing on my saddled horse, I could reach 

 into it but for one obstacle, — the relative size of the 

 door and my hand. I was unwilling to cut away the 

 wood about the door, so contented myself with observ- 

 ing from a distance of fifteen feet. The father bird was 

 especially fearless, and sat most of the time on the top of 

 the nest tree, where he drummed occasionally to reassure 

 his mate in the nest. When I tried to put my hand into 

 the cavity, both birds came within six feet of me, utter- 

 ing low angry calls, and before I had fairly reseated my- 

 self in the saddle, the male had entered the nest. I 

 could hear him reassuring the young, which all this time 

 had kept up a tremendous hissing, after the manner of 

 all birds born iii hollow trees. As I sat there just far 

 enough away to see well what was going on, both 

 parents brought insects to the nestlings every ten min- 

 utes. These were usually butterflies, grasshoppers, or 

 dragouflies ; but the male frequently picked up the large 

 ants that swarmed over a log I had broken open, and 

 carried them to the nest. He was much more fearless 

 than the female, — a trait so rare among birds that it 

 deserves especial mention. 



In the same tree with this nest of the Williamson 

 Sapsuckers there were a nest of the pygmy nuthatches 

 on the other side of the tree and another of a bluebird 

 a little lower down. The nuthatches were, if possible, 



