July, 1911 
From field and study 
139 
out; so that when I slipped and fell back, which occasionally happened, as it was raining hard 
and blowing a gale, it jerked up tight on o hut conld not get n out. The two ends of the iron rod 
were bent around behind the bark as the rod became too long. 
About two hours of experimenting were necessary to figure out this combination, the reverse 
of everything being very simple while coming down, which took about five minutes. 
Twenty-five spikes eiglit inches long, and a small hand axe were also taken along (in a 
satchel with an egg box) and driven into the stump in a zig-zag as shown in Fig. 4, each spike 
being about two feet higher than the last; twenty-four spikes were needed and I conld not have 
got the eggs with twenty-three only, so that it was “cutting it rather fine”, but the estimated 
height was forty feet; it is advisable to take ijiore than five extra spikes, especially as they cost 
only a cent apiece. The iron rod of course is used to lift the rope up aheatl while ascending, 
branches being cut or knocked off with the hand axe, which was looped to the wrist most of the 
time toprevent dropping it. On the south side (where the nest was) the stump was so rotten 
that the spikes when driven four inches into the wood, pushed right out when my weight was 
put on them, so climbers were useless; on the north side they just would hold my weight and 
that was all, but two pulled out on the way down. The whole combination is absolutely safe and 
1 coTild repeat it now' in twenty mimites. It is hardly more difficult than going up and down 
stairs. The stump, a cottonwood, was about fifty-five feet high and surrounded by ash trees of 
the same height, in a large sw’amp of about 100 acres one-fourth mile from the Illinois river and 
four miles soiith of Kerby. The sw'amp is heavily timbered with large cottonw'oods and smaller 
deciduous trees of other kinds, and these weaving violently in the wdnd finally produced a sensa- 
tion that was probably like sea-sickness, hut deep-hreathing stopped it very quickly. Also, when 
about ten feet below the nest the old birds appeared for the first time that day (the nest was 
located the day before by seeing one bird fly to it when the other came out and flew' away) and 
set up all kinds of “cat-calls” that very quickly dispelled any remaining dizziness. 
The nest was about fifteen inches deep, the floor of it being boat-shaped, about ten inches 
long and five inches wide, and chipped out of the soft sap W'ood, so that its length was parallel 
witli the side of the tree. The day before 1 staid near it for about an hour trying to devise some 
way to reach it and during this time the birds changed places once and occasionally hammered 
inside the nest, hut did not throw' anything out. The ground below’ was covered with fresh 
chips Init the entrance was old and ilark colored. One bird, probably the male, made most of the 
noise, while the other seemed very much subdued and depressed, and the same w’as noticed around 
a nest that I found in 1901. In each case the noisy l>ird was first heard, apparently about half a 
mile away and approaching very swdftly with its loud, clear calls; then lighting on a tree near by 
and keeping up a soft, conversational “clu-clu-clu, clu-clu-clu”, for several mimates till the other 
bird came out and flew silently away, when number one flew' to the nest and looked in 
(while clinging to the outside jiist helow’ the entrance) and then back out again and all around 
for six or eight times before going in. The soft notes are like “chuck” w'ith the hard “ck” 
taken off and I have heanl the same complete combination several times, apparently in about one 
place in another large swamp, but cannot find any nest, yet feel sure that a nest must be there as 
all of the conditions are just right for it. 
The four eggs w'ere about one-fourth incubated. It w’as rather difficult to reach half way 
around the tree and cut out the hollow', and it is very probable that if my father had not in the 
past given me endless instruction in all kinds of knots, the nest would never have been reached. 
.Some oologists talk about hiring climbers, hut I not only cannot get anyone to climb a tree, 
but find it necessary to go alone, as anyone w'ho goes along in case of accident, throws so much 
“cold water” that it completely extinguishes my desire to climb. It might be w’ell, if any large 
limb W’ere to be encountered, to take a sharp hand saw. — C h.\ri.es W. Bowles. 
