SOME RARE VISITORS. 
159 
wise precaution not to tell definitely where the nest was 
located, but his description of the tall, dead stump, stand¬ 
ing like a lamp-post at the edge of the sidewalk, in an ex¬ 
posed position, recalled to my brother immediately his un¬ 
explained experience of the previous autumn, and he felt 
certain that his unknown woodpecker was a red head. 
Early the next day, in great excitement, we made our 
way to the spot, and there, sure enough, on a dead tree 
near the stump, preening his feathers in the sunshine, sat 
a magnificent black and white woodpecker, with rich, vel¬ 
vety crimson on head, neck and throat! 
Our first thought, after admiring the bird for a minute, 
was to locate the nest and see for ourselves the little gray 
heads of the young birds peering out of the opening. But 
although there were plenty of holes, and one showed signs 
of more recent use than the others, we got no sight or 
sound of life within, and were reluctantly forced to believe 
that the young birds had left the nest. We soon found 
that they had not ventured far, however. 
Near the nesting-place, overlooking it easily, were 
houses and intersecting streets, while behind it rose a 
wooded knoll, and beyond that stretched woods for a mile 
or more. Our attention was soon called to the large trees, 
oaks and chestnuts, on the knoll beyond us, for a second 
bird had appeared and was greeted there by a chorus of 
impatient young voices. We quickly located three young 
birds, two in one tree, the third in another, and suspected 
the presence of a fourth bird, but were not quite sure of it. 
The heads of the young birds were gray, without a sug¬ 
gestion of crimson, and the bodies were more or less mot¬ 
tled and streaked; but the white marking of the back and 
wings was so like the old birds that they were very easily 
recognized. These white spots on the rump and wings 
form the distinguishing mark of both adult and immature 
birds when in flight, forming a great patch or band of 
