CATALOGUE OF CANADIAN BIRDS. 327 



and 2 at the entrance. The four youngsters were nearly grown 

 and fledged, and consequently were much crowded in this narrow 

 chamber. Three of them were precisely like the mother-bird in 

 colour and the fourth differed only in having over each ear a cockade 

 of rich yellow. (E. T. Seton.) A plentiful species in Ontario 

 where I have met with it both in summer and winter. At the latter 

 season it is often seen on wood piles in the vicinity of houses. It 

 breeds along the St. Lawrence and northward. Unlike the other 

 woodpeckers it is an early breeder, commencing its nest-hole the end 

 of April and usually having its complement of eggs laid by May 6th. 

 Most of the nests I have seen have been in wet places or near water, 

 and almost all were in white ash trees, from thirty to fifty feet from 

 the ground. Two nests were in elm trees and one in a telegraph 

 pole by the roadside not more than ten feet from the ground. In this 

 tiest-hole the young were hatched by the 22nd of May. (Rev. C. J. 

 Young.) Breeds in fair numbers in summer and was formerly our 

 most common woodpecker in winter, but is now outnumbered by 

 the downy. Not yet observed to use dead trees for nesting. This 

 species drums on resonant limbs in spring, but not so commonly 

 as the downy woodpecker. It is an exceedingly early breeder, 

 excavating its dwelling-house in April, and indeed often laying 

 the eggs in the same month, while large young are always to be 

 found by May 24th. (W. E. Saunders.) Found breeding at Long 

 Lake, Manitoba, June i6th, 1894. On May 31st, 1901, found a 

 nest containing four eggs at Yorktown, Sask. The eggs were laid 

 in a hole in a tree about ten feet from the ground. I found another 

 nest containing six eggs in a hole in a poplar about 15 feet from the 

 ground. I am not aware that the nest and eggs of this species 

 have been previously described so will give the measurement of the 

 egg. The average size of 18 specimens before me is .98 x .70. (yV. 

 Raine.) 



393c. Harris Woodpecker. 



Dryobates villosus harrisii (Aud.) Ridgw. 1885. 



One shot in lat. 49°, August 24th, 1874. Found only in the Rocky 

 mountains. (Coues.) Vancouver island, Sumas and Osoyoos; win- 

 ters on Vancouver island. (Lord.) Abundant everywhere through- 

 out the coast region ; breeds. (Streator.) West of the Coast range. 



