84
Lake Umbagog.
Outlet.
1897
May 28
(No 2)
  On reaching the Outlet Watrous took us to the
nest of the Pileated Woodpecker which he found on the 26th.
It is in the flooded forest of dead trees nearly opposite
the mouth of the Magalloway and about 40 yards back
from the south bank of the Androscoggin. The tree is
an old and much - decayed brown ash about 15 inches
through at the base, branchless and almost wholly denuded
of bark. The entrance hole is on the N.E. side of the 
stub about 20 ft. above the water which, at present, is 
some 5 ft. in depth. The hole is somewhat irregular
in shape the lower left - hand corner having a large
nick. It looks as if it may have been excavated last
year but of this I am not sure. It is sufficiently
large to admit Watrous's arm which, thrust down 
to the elbow, did not reach the bottom.
[margin]Nest of
Pileated 
Woodpecker[/margin]
  When we first reached the stub we pounded it hard
without starting anything. A minute or two later
while we were still sitting in the boats at the base of
the tree the [male] Log-cock came flying directly towards it
and alighted on a small fir stub about 6 ft.
from it and perhaps 10 ft. above the water. After looking
down at us [delete]calmly[/delete] with an expression of calm enquiry
for a moment he swung across to the nest and
alighting just below the entrance hole with his legs
wide - spread and his tail firmly braced against the
trunk clung there motionless for an instant looking in.
Next he made as if to enter thrusting in his head but
instantly withdrawing it with a jerk and turning it
on our side to look down at us suspiciously. He kept 
this up for fully a minute making a dozen or more
false starts but each time going further & further in