115
Lake Umbagog.
Bottle Brook Pond.
1897
June 4
(No 3)
him at over to the entrance of the hole even when
we were 40 or 50 yds. away and every few minutes
when we were sitting perfectly still he would look out
turning his head in every direction. He would not leave
the hole, however, until we were within a few yards of
the foot of the tree and after he had drummed
awhile he would return to the stub while we were
sitting near its base with the camera directed towards
it. Thus I had several good opportunities to photograph
him but each required a wait of nearly or quite
half an hour with the mosquitos & black flies biting
viciously.
[margin]Nest of
Picoides
americanus[/margin]
 On returning to the stub the bird would usually
strike against it about two feet below the hole
and reaching the hole by two or three quick, upward
movements would cling to its lower edge alternately
looking in and down at us. The click of the
camera shutter did not alarm him but when I
moved forward to try to change the photo he
invariably flew. He did not once enter the hole
while we were near the tree nor did he tap the
trunk near the hole as noted on the 2nd June.
He evidently realized that that ruse had failed.
When he flew back into the woods he always
took one of two courses and along each he alighted
not only on the same trees but on the same spot
on each tree one each occasion: He had one particular
place on the trunk of a large spruce where he would
spend ten or fifteen minutes at a time planning
himself & watching us before returning to the nest.
His favorite drumming place was against a short