July, 1919 NESTING OF THE NORTHERN PILEATED WOODPECKER 155 
Floating near the shore was a long dead trunk with a projecting limb 
which we decided to use as a raft to approach the tree. We each made an at- 
tempt to reach the tree but on both trials the raft turned over and we each got 
an icy bath. Inasmuch as the hills were covered with snow and the tempera- 
ture on that day was low we were not particularly pleased with the ducking. 
We decided the tree raft would not serve and accordingly we made a fast trip 
back to headquarters, covering the distance in less time than that taken in com- 
ing out. 
We soon returned with some planks and a lot of spikes with slick we 
made a good raft and succeeded in reaching the nest tree. By driving spikes in 
the trunk Wells reached the nest and drew out a small young fledgling. The 
appearance of this object, resembling a skinned Chipmunk instead of a large 
white egg, certainly disappointed us. 
The nest cavity was eighteen inches deep and six ‘motos 4 in diameter, while 
the entrance was three inches in width. The entire excavation had pea made 
in live wood although there were plenty of large dead trees near by. 
After leaving the nest we watched the old birds, both of which came to 
the tree and were quite tame as they fed the young, which, by the way, were 
chree in number. The old birds reminded us a great deal of a pair of Flickers 
m their general movements and manner. 
Determining to obtain a set of eggs the following spring, a visit was made 
on May 19, 1916, to the same mountain lake. Conditions were found to be 
quite similar to those of the previous year, there being much snow on the 
ground. The arrival at the lake was made enjoyable by a view of the pair of 
Woodpeckers flying towards the woods from the same tree in which the nest 
was located the previous year. An examination of the old tree was made in 
double-quick time and resulted in finding a second hole located three feet high- 
er up and on the opposite side of the tree. Although two weeks earlier this 
year than the last we were again doomed to disappointment, for the nest con. 
tained three newly hatched young and one unhatched egg. The young birds 
evidently remained in the nest for about thirty days as they were seen climbing 
about the trees on June 20. 
The following year (1917) the locality was visited on May 5—we being de- 
termined to get ahead of the birds this time. The season was more advanced 
than on the three previous years and but little snow was on the ground and the 
lake at this point had less than three feet of water in it. The Pileated Wood- 
peckers had abandoned the lake and were making their home in a tree located 
in the channel of a small stream which flowed into the lake and about 
_ three hundred yards from their former site. The nest was found to be about 
half completed. Visits were made to it on several occasions until May 26, but 
the birds were not seen again. Apparently they had moved out of the basin 
entirely, as they could not be located. 
While spending the winter of 1917-1918 at Summit, Wells determined to 
inake the most of his opportunities to study the Woodpeckers. Through sey- 
eral friends living at Cisco the birds were kept under observation throughout 
the winter. It was found that the birds seldom strayed as far as two or three 
miles from their lake and that only the one pair was in evidence. 
In 1918, the first attempt to locate the nest was made on May 2, by Wells 
in company oat W.G. Flickinger. On nearing the lake several unfinished eay- 
:ties were noted, so that the date for eggs seemed about right. There was but 
