The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-12-05

ought to be.
 Last spring saw male flicker alight
 on the slanting trunk of dead tree, and, after hitcning sidewise two or
 three times. he stopped near spot
 where the bark was loose; and began
 prying off bits of it with his strong
 curved bill, pausing now and then to
 devour the insects which he brought to light. Once he waited for a second or
 two, with his head on one side, as though he heard something moving be- meath the surface, and then he began to attack a particular spot with great yigor. ''Ra-ta-at-at, rat-tat-at-at"
 went the bill, as it drilled neat little hole, and then the Woodpecker paused to drive in his barbed tongue, which
 pierced a luckless grub and dragged it,
 writhing, from it's stronghold. Then, l flying to higher branch ile sent forth long call. "Wicka- -wicka- -wicka-W Wicka," which penetrated to the very heart of i the woods. Presently he flew to an-
 other tree, alighting close to hard, dead branch, where he shifted about as ] though to secure perfect foothold, two toes of each foot in front and two be-
 hind, their sharp nails niping the bark
 like claw pincers, and with his pointed ! tail feathers propping him up from be-
 low. Then he threw his head back, and i after a monetary pause brought the tip
 of his bill to bear upon the dead branch, with marvellous force and rapidity. The effect was loud, vibratory sound not
 unlike the rapid rolling of small drum,
 and after 8 moments silence, during which the woodpecker turned his head
 on one side as though listening. it was repeated, seemingly louder than before. Again and again the sound rolled forth from the resonant branch, and then,
 with a little pat" 8 second flicker
 alighted upon the tree. Then the drum
 mer ceased his drumming, for he had something better to do. The lady love
 he had been calling for had arrived, and the delightful task of winning her affec- tions was before him. He drew near and bowed to her, uttering notes which sounded like as though they might be
 pretty speeches; then pranced in front of her, spreading his tail and his wings,
 displaying the golden feather shafts and
 the white patch on his rurnp. How much further he would have gone with his courtship will never be known, for at
 this interesting point another male flicker arrived from somewhere, and the
 two rivals, uttering harsh notes, dashed off together, and were followed soon after by the cause of their jealousy.
 Which, if either, of the two males was eventually successful, don't know, but at all events, I saw pair of mated flickers in that corner of the woods a very few days later. Apparently they were considering the question of mak- ing their home in one of the branches of a dead chesnut-tree which stood on the wood, for they flew onto the tree and off it and back again a great many times. At last a decision was reached. and on that very tree work was com menced. The spot selected was about twenty feet from the ground, on the un- der side of a large branch which leaned somewhat toward the south. One of the birds began by cutting a circle about one and a half inches in diameter and then dug out the wood inside of it to depth of two or three inches. Then, for some reason which could not de- termtne, they abandoned this hole, and began new one on another limb near by. Here they hammered away, the male and the female alternately, and the white chips flew around them as they worked. 4,..s
 For eight days they laborad; hard; then, because no more chips were thrown out. presumed that the home was finished. Some ten days later enlarged the entrance a little, that coud put my hand into the nest. h. side the nest-hole was much wider than one might have supposed from glancing at the doorway, and opened out into Q roomy cavity which extended down. wards perhaps eighteen inches, afford ing ample room for the mother as she sat upon her eggs. Of the latter there were seven, transparent white; with pink veinings showing through the shell. The yolks, as in all fresh wood- peckers eggs which have seen, were plainly visible, and tfoated lighted to the top, no matter which way up the eggs were held. The mother flicker, who had flown out as I began to climb the tree, and who had been representing me gently in her own language, came back within three minutes after de- scended and went to her eggs with no more than glance at the disagreement of her doorway.
 Next time visited the nest the young birds were matched, for as tapped on the tree-trunk there came from the hole a sound like that made by escaping steam or a singing kettle; the sound of very young f1ickers crying in chorus. As the youngsters grew older, their cries became louder, and could be heard for several yards. They always cried when either of the parent birds alighted on the tree near the hole. or when the tree was struck with stick or stone. did not see the parent birds feed the young, but we know from observations of MT. William Brewster that young flickers are fed by reorganization in much the same manner as young pig cons are given their nourishment. The parent flicker thrusts his bill down the throat of a little flicker, and with his wings and tail, and in fact his whole body quivering with the effort, he lit- orally pumps the ha1f-digested food from his own stomach into that of his offspring.
 Some time before they were ready to leave the nest, the f1edglings would .fSI IL. IL. 4