THE BAY STATE OOLOGIST. 



The Pileated Woodpecker. 



BY J. W. JACOBS, WAYNESBURG, PA. 



On April 24th, I was passing through a large patch of woods, taking note of all 

 the bird life I conld see, when I noticed a large hole near the top of a "snag." I 

 went a little closer, and then I saw that the hole was too large for a Red-head 

 (M. erythrocephalus) or a Flicker (C.auratus). 



I went up to the tree; there was a great pile ot chips on the ground; I ham- 

 mered on the tree, and a Pileated Woodpecker (Hylotomus pileatus) flew out, I 

 climbed up, but owing to the tree being high, smooth bark and no limbs at all, I 

 could not stick, so I resolved to call again, better prepared for an attack on the 

 tree. 



On the 28th, I started out to procure the set of eggs, if there proved to be any 

 in the nest. Everything went well until I reached the tree, and there I could see 

 that the hand of destruction had visited H. pileatus, for the tree was stretched out 

 upon the ground. 



Two wood-choppers had been in the woods the day before, making rails ; they 

 saw the old bird fly from her nest, and of course, through curiosity, they cut the 

 tree down to see what the eggs looked like. I found the pieces of three or four 

 egg-shells, and probably there were more. I did not find out how many they 

 broke. 



The hole was thirty-five feet from the ground, and such a fall as that wonld have 

 broken a thousand eggs, had that number been in the cavity. 



About two months later, I was in the vicinity of this tree, and saw in a neigh- 

 boring tree a large hole resembling the first. I did not climb to the hole, for from 

 all appearance, the brood had hatched and were gone. I think this hole was ex- 

 cavated by the same pair of birds. 



On May 21st, I was collecting in a large strip of woods, about a quarter of a 

 mile from town, when I saw in a live maple an excavation of H. pileatus. I 

 climbed up and found the nest contained four young birds and one nearly fresh 

 egg. This is a beautiful egg, glossy white, and measures 1.25X.95 inches. 



During the time I was in the tree, both old birds were perched not far off, and 

 every now and then would utter their harsh cackle. 



Later in the season I found another nest of this bird ; it was in a live maple, 

 twenty teetfrom the ground. The young birds had flown. 



