Three nests of Sphyrapicus varius
MAINE, (L. Umbagog. [Umbagog Lake, Maine]) Nest of Colaptes
Thursday Peresoreus [Peresoreus canadensis] in young plumage.
1876.
June 8 [June 8, 1876] Forenoon clear; clouded up at noon and rained
most of P.M. Took the steamboat in the morning
with H. Bailey and stopping at Moll's rock
took "Ninety" Harrington as guide from a
party of river drivers. Leaving the boat at
the inlet we rowed up Rapid river as far
as "Cedar stump". Here we cut out a nest
of Sphyrapicus [Sphyrapicus varius] with 5 eggs (5 days in.) which
we had been told of by the Capt. [Captain] of the boat.
Starting down river from here we spent
most of the day between "the stump" &
the lake hunting the stubs carefully and
getting three more sets of Sphyrapicus'
eggs. The nest at Cedar stump was about 8 ft.
above the river in the very heart of a live 
poplar tree. The birds had selected a spot where
a knot had been and bored straight in for
some three inches then down about 12 in. [inches].
The next nest was in a dead birch about the
same height up and contained 7 eggs, two of them
perfectly fresh, the other five incubated some
5 or  6 days. We saw only one pair of birds
about the place. The next was some 40 ft. up
in a very rotten birch stub. "Ninety" secured
this with some risk: it contained six eggs nearly
fresh. The last was in a birch stub about 15
ft up; it contained six eggs perfectly fresh.
Besides these we found two more which were
inaccessible but one of which we shall cut down.
Saw a pair of Mergus Am. [Mergus americana] which evidently had
a nest but we could not find it. Also saw
a Lophodytes that apparently flew from a stub
but could not find this either. Saw a pair of
Scolecophagus and a small flock of Peresoreus Can [Perisoreus canadensis] 
among these several young in full feather hat
in the peculiar lead colored plumage. Found a
[margin]nest of Hirundo bicolor in a stub, lined with feathers of Bubo. None of the Sphyrapicus [Sphyrapicus varius] made much noise while we were taking their nests. Came down on the boat. Stone & Harrington went off all day in my boat but got nothing. After supper I cut out a nest of Colaptes near the house and got six fresh eggs. We also cut down a nest on the river but all the eggs broke.[/margin]