1883.] The Hairy Woodpecker. 513 
May 13th, 1880, we discovered our first authentic nest of the 
hairy woodpecker. It was situated in a partially dead swamp 
maple, nearly thirty feet from the ground. Though the day was 
warm, the shaft of the tree smooth, without limb or excrescence 
of any sort to assist us in shinning up to the coveted nest, we de- 
termined to secure the eggs if possible. We had nearly reached 
the entrance to the woodpecker’s home, when, imagine our dis- 
may, at seeing three yourg birds dart out of the hole and run 
nimbly up amid the topmost branches of the tree. 
On or about April 20th, 1881, a friend detected a pair of these 
birds building a nest in a dead basswood, about twenty feet from 
the ground. Waiting about one week, he repaired to the tree 
and carefully sawed out a piece of the wood some ten inches be- 
low the hole and found the nest to contain three eggs. This he 
pondered was not a full set, so replacing the piece of wood and > 
securely tying it, ashe thought, with strong cords, he awaited the 
laying of one or two additional eggs. When we visited the tree 
again we were chagrined to find the cords cut by the sharp bills 
of the parent birds, the block, which had been sawn out, fallen to 
the ground and the eggs gone. Whether the old birds did not like 
the cords or were merely of an investigating turn of mind and 
wished to test the strength of the fastenings, or were actuated by a 
spirit of pure “ cussedness” in destroying the nest and contents, we 
did not consider it worth while to inquire, but, deeming ourselves 
commiserable, decided that the very next time we were confronted 
with a set of three hairy woodpecker’s eggs we would—wait for 
the appearance of one or two more? oh, no; rather secure the 
three despite the statements of the books that four to five com- 
Posed a set, leaving to some other novice the verification of this 
statement, ws 
Again, on April 28th, 1882, while passing through a tract of 
Woodland, our attention was directed to a circular hole, deftly 
chiseled in a dead maple, whose top had been broken off by the 
_Wind. The hole was only a few inches below where the top had 
en carried away and about twenty to twenty-five feet from the 
Sround, Our rap on the tree with a stick quickly brought one of 
the old birds to the entrance, when, perceiving us, very little time 
Was lost in deserting this for an adjacent tree, where, in response 
ve few sharp notes, the mate delayed not to also take position and 
to unite in sounding a general alarm. After sawing out a piece 
