272 Discovery of some Nests of the Black Woodpecker. 
a tree within fifteen yards of our heads, where she remained for 
a few moments, and then swung round to the other side, from 
which position she kept peeping at us, as is their wont, but 
without uttering the peculiar cry. 
There now remained the second nest, the taking of which was 
still doubtful, as I was determined on no account to have the 
tree felled, after the results in the last instance. Noon found us 
all assembled, and the ladder quite ready. It was an ingenious 
affair, constructed of two young fir-trees joined at intervals of 
four feet by cross bars passing through the flanks, beyond which 
they projected some distance. There was neither nail nor peg 
in it, and the whole had been made on the spot by the woodman 
and his comrade with axe and borer. The length of it was about 
40 feet. Nothing now remained but to rear it. This was done, 
after the thin end of the ladder had been placed against the 
tree, by means of two notched poles, which were fitted, one into 
either flank of the ladder, as it rested. The flanks were then 
gradually raised, each by two men, whilst the others pushed 
against the heavy end; so that as the first four increased the 
elevation of the ladder, the second party kept diminishing the 
distance between its base and the base of the tree upon which 
the weight was principally thrown, until the ladder itself stood 
at an angle of about 80° from the ground with the top round 
still under the hole. The woodman then went up, and announced 
to my dismay that there were young ones in this nest also. 
After satisfying myself, by inspection, of the truth of his state¬ 
ment, I directed him to enlarge the hole sufficiently for us to see 
what they were like, which he proceeded to do, after first se¬ 
curing the top of the ladder by means of a rope. Before this was 
done, the ascent was very ticklish work. The axe revealed to us 
four young ones, half-grown and very vicious, being well able 
and willing to use their bills upon intruding fingers. One was 
taken to secure a specimen of the bird in this stage, which was 
not much after all our trouble; the other three were left poking 
their ugly heads out of the window so unceremoniously made in 
their habitation. The rope was then untied, the ladder thrown 
down and broken, and the storming party prepared to move off 
to different parts of the forest according to their several destina- 
