32 B Y- WA YS AND BIRD-NOTES. 



that I reached the determination that it was 

 my duty to rob that nest in the interest of 

 knowledge. It was the first opportunity I ever 

 had had to examine an occupied nest of the 

 Campephilus principalis, and I felt that it was 

 scarcely probable that I should ever again be 

 favored with such a chance. With the aid of 

 my Cracker host, I erected a rude ladder and 

 climbed up into the hole. It was almost 

 exactly circular, and nearly five inches in di- 

 ameter. With a little axe I began break- 

 ing and hacking away the crust of hard outer 

 wood. The cavity descended with a slightly 

 spiral course, widening a little as it proceeded. 

 I had followed it nearly five feet when I found 

 a place where it was contracted again, and im- 

 mediately below was a sudden expansion, at 

 the bottom of which was the nest. Five 

 beautiful pure white eggs of the finest old- 

 china appearance, delicate, almost transparent, 

 exceedingly fragile, and, to the eyes of a 

 collector, vastly valuable, lay in a shallow 

 bowl of fine chips. But in breaking away the 

 last piece of wood-crust, I jerked it a little too 

 hard, and those much coveted prizes rolled out 

 and fell to the ground. Of course they were 

 " hopelessly crushed," and my feelings with 

 them. I would willingly have fallen in their 

 stead, if the risk could have saved the eggs. 

 I descended ruefully enough, hearing as I did 

 so the loud cry of Campephilus battling around 

 in the jungle. Once or twice more I went 

 back to the spot in early morning, but my 

 birds did not appear. I made minute exami- 

 nation of the rifled nest, and also tore out the 

 other excavation, so as to compare the two. 

 They were very much alike, especially in the 



