July, 1919 NESTING HAUNT OF THE MERRILL SONG SPARROW 153 
Flicker are frequently heard from the other side of the outlet, as also the song 
of the Western Meadowlark from the open fields bordering on the north side. 
How different during the second nesting period. It is the middle of June; 
the water lilies are in bloom, the large flowering spikes of the spirea are wav 
ing in the breeze, the odor of the wild rose is in the air, the Merrill Song Spar- 
rows are now nesting near the edge of the outlet, and the willows and thickets 
at either end of the small meadow on both sides of the outlet seem fairly alive 
with birds; the Song Sparrows have many neighbors now. Yellow Warblers, 
Tolmie Warblers, Western Yellowthroats, Western Warbling Vireos, Red-eyed 
Vireos, American Redstarts, Western Robins, Black-headed Grosbeaks and 
Catbirds are nesting in and about the haunt. 
All through the morning hours, and late in the afternoon, the songs of the 
various males ean be heard. but with all their love and good cheer, the Song 
Sparrow is able to hold his own, and he makes the surroundings ring with his 
sweet melody. As the day draws to its close the Robin sings his evening lay, 
and as the dark shadows creep over the outlet, the little brown bats steal forth 
from their hiding places and join company with the Pacific Nighthawks in 
their circling flight over the chosen home of the Merrill Song Sparrow. 
Couer d’ Alene, Idaho, February 6, 1919. 
& 
NESTING OF THE NORTHERN PILEATED WOODPECKER 
By H. W. CARRIGER and GURNIE WELLS 
WITH ONE PHOTO 
HE Northern Pileated Woodpecker (Phloeotomus pileatus abieticola), while 
not rare, is such a wary bird that its nesting habits in California are but 
_ __ little known. In a search through our various publications dealing with 
such subjects we fail to find a record of the taking of a single set of eggs of 
this species in the State. It seems probable that there are fewer California 
taken eggs of this bird in collections than even eggs of the California Condor. 
Barlow (Conpor, 1, 1901, p. 163) records a nest with young birds at Fyffe on 
June 13, 1897. Sheldon (Conpor, 1x, 1907, p. 188) records a nest with young 
near Big Meadows, Plumas County. The date is not given but it is assumed to 
be early in July. . 
This paper embraces a partial account of our joint studies of this species 
over a period of five years (1914 to 1918), and the final culmination of our ef- 
forts in the taking of two sets of the eggs. The region worked lies near Cisco, 
Placer County, California, and it seems probable that the same pair of birds 
was observed during the five-year period. 
While working among the dead and dying trees at the upper end of a large 
mountain lake in June of 1914 the loud cackle of this unique bird was frequent- 
ly heard. The type of country appeared to be suitable for the residence of the 
bird and it was then determined to pay especial attention to this species when 
next we should visit the lake, it then being too late in the season for eggs. Some 
