/ ' Ve found Nash looking at a hole in the side 
of a tree, from which emanated a succession 
of cries which sounded like a troop of angry 
cats, and holding in his hand a pair of Black- 
backed Thre e- toed Woodpe ckers (No. 400). 
The hole was dug into the solid, green wood 
of a spruce ten inches in diameter, about 
twenty feet from the ground. The entrance 
was one and a half inches in diameter, and the 
hole was ten inches deep, and with one and a 
half inches of wood between it and the outside. 
Nest was composed of rotten chips and 
moss. Width of cavity, five inches. 
I find the following notes taken at the time: 
Contents of stomach, pine larva; and remains 
of insects. Iris, red-brown. The young have 
a white, gristly appendage on either side of 
the lower mandible at the base of the bill, as 
shown in the engraving. 
A Side, bill of adult. 
J1 Underside, lower mandible, adult. 
C Under side, lower mandible, young. 
BILL OF BLACK-BACKED THREE-TOED WOODPECKER. 
(Engraved by (J. J. Maynard.) 
This peculiar formation has apparently never 
before been noticed, at least I can find no 
record of the fact. Wm, Brewster, in his 
“Description of First Plumages,” makes no 
note of fin ling It on a skin taken July 31st, 
although it is possible that it might shrink 
away in drying, or might disappear before 
that period of development, as his specimen 
was four weeks older than mine. Unfortun- 
ately my specimens were not preserved, but I 
have a photograph of them taken while the 
hi ids were alive, which shows the formation 
quite plainly. 
Contents of stomach, remains of insects and 
bits of coarse gravel. The generative organs 
showed quite plainly. All three of the birds, 
which made up the complement, were males. 
The cut on first page shows the character of 
the country where the nest was situated. 
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