1981 R.L. mumme Melanerpes formicivorus Low Hay 8 May Start watch from hide 0600 0727, 9524 enters '80 nest hole. 0731 she leaves. 9524 appeared to have a large abdominal bulge. Mary reported that she entered the roost hole at 0615. Fn again 0746, out by 0749. 0800, I check 1980 hole. Ellie Empty, so 9524 did not lay. However, at 0845 I finally get up to the roost hole and find 1 raut egg, 19.3 x 15.5 mm. Unfortunately, I crack the shell trying to get it out of that very, very deep hole. A very bizarre raut, as the air cell was located in the middle of the egg, rather than at the blunt end. That was where I cracked the egg, anyway. Actually, I'm not altogether sure I cracked it, since it seemed like a puncture wound through the air cell rather than a crush. Anyway, trying to get the egg back in the hole, I totally destroy it. Interestingly, this particular raut had a complete, normal looking yolk. It had just the thinnest layer of albumen to go along with it. I go back down the hill, inject plaster into our raut in the collection, bring it up and place it in the "nest". The bottom of the roost hole is very strange. No good wood chips, but a good bit of gunked-together sawdust. Very damp. Very surprising that 9524 would lay her egg there. Walter watches hole 1030 Points ① 9524 may have been "forced" to dump her egg off there. I was unable to get the movie camera working, and was fooling around with it until 0610