MICHIGAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 
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the nest is approached, the brooding female generally slipping quietly off 
and gliding away to a safe distance. When the young are hatched the 
parent birds are very bold, often striking the intruder in the face with their 
wings. The young are fed exclusively on insects, beetles, small grasshoppers 
and caterpillars being found in five out of six stomachs examined. The 
insect food of the adult in addition to this is composed of bugs, flies, and 
several kinds of larvae. The birds feed quite a little on the ground where 
they find beetles, grasshoppers and larvae. As the fruits ripen the Blue Jays 
add these to their diet, but only in small quantities. The males assist in 
feeding the young, but are usually more shy and will not approach the nest 
when it is under observation. Only one brood is raised, but if the first nest 
has been destroyed, another is usually built. The per cent of insects eaten 
steadily increases toward the end of the season, probably because the abun- 
dance of this kind of food and the growing scarcity of weed seeds. In the 
early spring the Jays are found in flocks of seven or eight which* break up 
with the advent of nesting season, not to reassemble till the following spring. 
In summing up the life of the Blue Jay as observed in this habitat, these 
facts should be stated: first, the food eaten by these birds, consisting of 
insects and seeds, is very plentiful during the period when the birds are most 
common; second, the trees found in the forest are the same as those chosen 
throughout its range as nesting sites, namely maple, willow, and apple; 
third, adequate protection is furnished by the evergreens during the early 
spring and by the other trees later in the season. 
Melanerpes erythrocephalus. (Linn.). Recl-headecl Woodpecker. This 
brightly colored woodpecker arrives the last of March. During the month 
and a half which elapses before nesting time, it roams about the forest seeking 
food principally in the larger trees. Only one stomach has been examined 
from this period. It contained beetles, wood boring larvae and ants. About 
the middle of April the Red-head selects a dry dead stub, or decayed limb 
and commences its nest. From four or five days to two weeks are occu- 
pied in digging the cavity varying according to the condition of the wood 
and the depth of the hole. The nest is usually dug about ten feet from the 
ground when situated in a stub, but may be at any height where a limb is 
chosen. No lining is used, the six glossy white eggs being deposited on the 
fine chips left in the bottom of the cavity. Only one nest is occupied, al- 
though there may be several suitable cavities in i,he same stub where other 
woodpeckers could nest. One of these holes is occupied during the night 
by the male. By the middle of May the young are hatched and from now on 
till the young leave the nest the parent birds will be found in the vicinity 
hunting for ants and other insects. The food taken by one family of nest- 
lings consisted entirely of ants and beetles. As soon as the young leave 
the nest the old birds lead them to the edge of the woods where flying insects 
abound. Here they soon learn to take care of themselves and in a surprising- 
ly short time are left to shift for their own living. 
Around the nest the parents show considerable anxiety, the brooding 
bird pecking the hand vigorously when it is introduced into the nest, cavity 
These birds have sometimes been seen storing the acorns in crevices in the 
bark in the same manner as that practiced bv the Blue Jay. Besides, 
gathering insects from the trees these woodpeckers often station themselves 
on some exposed stump or pole and sally forth after winged insects like a 
kingbird. A little fruit is also eaten, consisting chiefly of wild cherries, 
choke berries, and ripe apples. 
Those particular conditions which seem to be best suited for the Red- 
