Howell, T.R. 1948 Sphyrapicus varius daggetti 8 mi. N. and 13 mi. W. of Canby, 4700 ft., Modoc Co. Calif. May 23 (cont'd) - drew back, and began to preen. At 7:35 some other bird (probably a Hairy or a Flicker) beat out a short, regular tattoo from a short distance away. Bird B had hitched higher up on the trunk where the resonance is better, and drummed once, possibly in response to the tattoo. Then B began more preening, and scratched its head with its right foot. 7:37: B drummed again; again a tattoo in the distance; B gave a short drum, and began to hitch up to the very top of the dead tree. 7:41 - B flew off. At 8:05 B alighted on the trunk, tapped, went to the hole, investigated it, screamed 5 times, tapped the trunk some more, and left at 8:07.5. A moment later I heard it give 5 screams from another dead tree. At 8:10 a bird drummed nearby. At 8:27 Bird A alighted near the hole, went about half way in for a few moments and withdrew. "A" screamed 5 times, began to preen and scratch, screamed 7 times, preened some more, and then hitched up to another hole about 18 inches above the suspected nesting hole. Bird A poked itself about halfway in, withdrew, cocked its head on one side and then the other (listening?) and stuck its head back in. It withdrew, screamed 6 times, tapped the trunk,