July, 1919 NI?STINO O1' THI? NORTHI?RN PILI?AT}{I) WOODPECKER Floating near the shore was a long dead trunk with a projecting limb which we decided to use as a raft to approach the tree. We each made. an at- tempt to reach the tree but on both trials the raft turned over and we each got an icy. bath. Inasmuch as the hills were covered with snow and the tempera'- ture on-that day was low we were not particularly pleased with the ducking. We docided the tree raft would not serve and accordingly we made a fast trip back to headquarters, covering the distance in less time than that taken in com- ing out. il [i, We soon returned with some planks and a lot of spikes with which we made a good raft and succeeded in reaching the nest tree. By driving spikes in the trunk Wells reached the nest and drew out a small young fledgling. The appearance of this object, resembling a skinned Chipmunk instead of a large -white egg, certainly disappointed us. The nest cavity was eighteen inches deep and six inches in diameter, while the entrance was three inches in width. The entire excavation had been made in live wood although there were plenty of large dead trees near by. After leaving the nest we watched the old birds, both of which came to the tree and were quite tame as they fed the young, which, by the way, were three in number. The old birds reminded us a great deal of a pair of Flickers in their general movements and manner. Determining to obtain a set of eggs the following spring, a visit was made on May 19, 1916, to the same mountain lake. Conditions were found to be quite similar to those of the previous year, there being much snow on the ground. The arrival at the lake Was made enjoyable by a view of the pair of Woodpeckers flying towards the woods from the same tree in which the nest was located the previous year. An examination of the old tree was made in double-quick time and resulted in finding a second hole located three feet high- er up and on the opposite side of the tree. Although two weeks earlier this year than the last we were again doortied to disapi)ointment , for the nest con- [ained three newly hatched young and one unhatched egg. The young birds evidently remained in the nest for about thirty days as they were seen climbing about the trees on June 20. The following year (1917) the locality was visited on May 5 we being refrained to get ahead of the birds this time. The season was more advanced than on the three previous years and but little snow was on the ground and the lake at '[his point had less than three feet of water in it. The Pileated Wood- peckers had abandoned the lake and were making ?heir home in a tree located in the channel of a small stream which flowed into the lake and about three hundred yards from their former site. The nest was found to be about half completed. Visits were made to it on several occasions until May 26, but the birds were not seen again. Apparently they had moved out of the basin entirely, as they could not be located. While spending the winter Of 1917-1918 at Summit, Wells determined to make the most of his opportunities to study the Woodpeckers. Through sev- eral friends living at Cisco the birds were kept under observation throughout the winter. It was found that the birds seldom strayed as far as two or three miles from their lake and that only the one pair was in evidence. In 1918, the first attempt to locate the nest was made on May 2, by Wells in company with W. O. Flickinger. On nearing the lake several unfinished cav-
- .ties were noted, so that the date for eggs seemed about right. There was but
