ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE NESTS AND EGG OF BIRDS OF OHIO V1, JONES 1886

I LLUSTR ATIONS OF THE NESTS AND EGG OF BIRDS OF OHIO WITH TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS BY MRS N E TEXT BY HOWARD JONES CIRCLEYILLE, OHIO, 1886 U S A JONES, A.M., M D Copyrighted by GENEVIEVE ESTELLE JONES and ELIZA J SHULZE Text printed by ROBERT CLARKE & CO., CINCINNATI, OHIO Plates printed by THE KREBS LITHOGRAPHING CO., CINCINNATI, OHIO 4ql t TO THE MEMORY OF MISS GENEVIEVE ESTELLE JONES Wit Heflicate tfcis isofe MRS N E HOWARD JONES JONES / PLXLIV MELANERPES ERYTHROCEPHALUS RED-HEADED WOODPECKER : : : : Plate XL, IV MELANERPES ERYTHROCEPHALUS-Red~headed This species nest a is permanent resident, but not so plentiful in winter as in The chosen in May, sometimes earlier is cavating the cavity, according as the wood After tion is it is Woodpecker pair work soft or hard, or is summer The site for the at intervals for several days, or even weeks, ex- according as they are hurried to complete it some days generally elapse before the eggs are deposited The usual time for incubatwo weeks of June Ordinarily but one brood is reared, but occasionally two sets of c^s 'c£>' which case a second nest may be excavated, or the first may answer for both broods finished the first are hatched, in LOCALITY But little and valleys, all preference displayed in selecting a locality for a nest is High dry points between, are alike frequented, provided a suitable situation can be found country, the majority of nests are in the dead limbs or trunks of large trees standing of woods or post, along the the site, Frequently the nest in fields but most public road be seen ina Woodpecker In the about the borders gate-post, telegraph-pole, or even In town, the dead limb of any orchard-tree or shade-tree not often that the it is to is and damp low hills in a fence- may furnish deserts the country for a city residence POSITION Usually the nest is is in a perpendicular limb or trunk, but sometimes an horizontally inclined branch In this case the entrance selected three or four to one hundred feet; The on the under surface is ordinarily it is distance from the ground varies from between eight and twenty feet MATERIALS No enough materials are carried for the nest for the cavity and soft enough Sometimes, however, living wood to several feet is The only requisite The diameter The Woodpecker begins by picking then a large curve is Dead wood is most frequently selected the wood varies from that of a man's arm for the birds to excavate chosen angles to the external surface until a suitably situated piece of wood, large is it of a conical hole which made, and the "excavation continued more than one-eighth cavity begins to enlarge, reaching one inch from the bottom an inch or more greater its at right angles to its of an inch The entrance previous is greatest diameter, commonly about diameter than another it is course for a circular, from one and three-fourths inches Between the bend and the bottom in one projected at about right has entered a sufficient distance, generally three or four inches depth varying from two to twelve inches, usually about four inches varies in diameter is At and rarely the bend the three and one-half inches, about not always circular, often beino- half The eggs generally rest upon a few soft chips EGGS The complement of eggs is generally five, sometimes one more or one 147 less, The shell is pure white, pointed; some arc nearly elliptical, while others, the most usual pattern, Some eggs are very about midway between these unmarked are extremes DIFFERENTIAL POINTS: See Table REMARKS The illustration, nest and three eggs Plate XLIV, represents a The size of the entrance, Red-headed Woodpecker's section of a limb containing a the curve, depth, and The eggs show the usual shapes and sizes The Red-headed Woodpecker is one of our most familiar and diameter of the cavity are about the average his national and very quarrelsome and colors, sexes are alike; but the young not acquire their The The Woodpecker single a trip, grain corn of and glean most forests, known wherever he generally is coloring until nearly a year old fall living from of their In winter Woodpeckers generally retire to the deepest cherry single or quently they store away in the is long foraging excursions to a corn-crib or a cherry-tree, taking, at each make will presence his noisy, Being conspicuous by birds useful acorns, beech-nuts, and such provisions as acorns and grains of Indian-corn fall dead insects found in trees sticking ; Fre- them in crevices about the bark of trees, presumably for use in winter emergencies With Red-heads leave their retirement, and, greeting the return of their the return of spring the southern friends, are heard about every decide to possess Sometimes a pair rather than be in a continual fight Hammer old house of a Yellow to raise their young decayed wood wedged Yellow Hammer's nest from which when and seem strongly attached than the rest, come with of the and food this Being stronger he gains more strength double acting system at the start enter, knew one set of eggs and in pair The opening this The young are The parents to care for themselves to their offspring, feeding than his brothers and gaining more strength, and, ; could Red-heads to enter sure to be on top and get his head is I had recently taken a In every brood there brood but one or two one cavity I homely are, how- and protecting them Yet, notwithstanding this solicitude for their progeny, they frequently even long after quitting the nest all I my hand for the from day to day, when they are abundantly able starve to death it, are so cowardly that they will frequently remain in the nest, calling full fledged, ever, exceedingly indulgent, food, enough abandon will Red-heads, instead of building, will select an some other Woodpecker, or even a natural or leaving a hole just large a stone, for food, of chopped away with a hatchet, so that I things, and, little a in waged against the owners that they is building House Wren may constructing a home, a Bluebird or in and such an unceasing war it, begins, and Mating soon as well as timber-land have been spent After days sites are chosen field, progresses, the reverse is happening is one bird older and stronger to the hole first sisters, when and, each the old ones day getting more he gets each day more food to his mates, until, in extreme While this cases, they actually die of starvation, and are not even carried out of the nest by the parents A friend related to me, some years a country road, a medium-sized fence-post, was and both went Hawk to the While he was riding along a Red-headed Woodpecker that had just fled from a Having some curiosity to see why the Hawk, which since, a curious incident, as follows: darted after ground together fluttering wildly, did not rise with the prey, and, also, a desire to free the screaming at the top of his voice when, to his surprise, by the Woodpecker from the grip of he clung to for help, he dismounted, climbed the fence, and approached the birds, he discovered that the By a small root Hawk was endeavoring to get away, but was being held movement he grasped the Hawk, and, with difficulty, freed him which held him firmly about the leg with one foot, while, with the other, DSI a dexterous his antagonist, Woodpecker, which was 148 ETYMOLOGICAL KEY Compiled from the Authorities and Arranged for this Work by Rev S H, McMullin, A c Asio americanus Accipiter cooperi accipiter, subs L.,=hawk Cardinalis virginianus Asio accipitrinus L.,— hawk owl caprimidgus, subs L.,— goat-sucker, Astragalinus comp of caper,— go&t iristis astragalinus, subs Gr.,=goldnnch ageloeus, adj Gr from o\yety,=gTQ- tristis, adj L.,=sad (voiced) mulgo,=I milk vocifcrus, adj late L.,=vociferous garious C-arpodacus purpureus phoeniceus, adj L.,=purple red sponsa aix, red L.,=of Virginia r Agelceus phoeniceus Aix L.,— cardinal Caprimidgus vocifcrus accipitrinus, adj L.,=hawk-like L.=sw arthy eardinalis, adj virginianus, adj L.,=horned asio, subs Accipiter fuscus accipiter, subs owl americanus, adj L., =American cooperi,=of (W.) Cooper fuscus, adj L.,=horned asio, subs B carpodaeus, subs Gr.,=fruit-eater comp of xa 07roc,= fruit ( Bartramia longicauda subs, Gr (a#r),=a mentioned by sponsa, subs water-fowl hartramia, adj L.,— of (W.) Bartram Aristotle longicauda, adj L.,— a bride odxu (o,=l bite purpureus, adj L.,=purple L.,=long-tailed Cathartes aura comp of longus, =\ong caihartes, subs Gr.,=purifier cauda,=t&il Ampelis cedrorum aura, subs L.,=in the ampelis, subs Gr.,=the aa-sli- or d/f-EUov, a bird Aristophanes in mentioned by bonasa (properly bonasus), subs Gr The Birds umbellus (properly umhclla), subs ale-yon- Gr.,— a sea-bird of the subs halcyon kind alcyon, subs L.,=umbrella boschas Ceryle ceryle, (/3ov«