2-4 THE NA TUKE-STUD V RE I 'IE IV [5 :9— dec, 1909 



nest again wearing a large shade hat. I had never worn one but 

 once before, and now ahnost immediately the male gave his cry 

 of alarm across the orchard. Five minutes later, he came to the 

 next tree where he gave the same cry repeatedly for several 

 minutes. I removed my hat and the alarm note ceased at once. 

 I replaced the hat on my head, and just then the female came to 

 the same tree as the male and they "talked it over together" 

 softly from 11.30 to 11.45, when I again removed my hat and at 

 11.55 'the female came to the opening, and fed two of her young. 

 The male seemed not to like it, and "scolded" well, telling her that 

 she would rue her rashness. She flew away after feeding, but 

 the male continued to berate me until I left. 



July 12 (continued), 5.40-7.12 p. m. — For the third time that 

 da}^ I sat down in front of the nest, and soon after the female 

 came to the nest. All five nestlings came half out of the nest, 

 and were fed in turn. The female started to go in, but did not 

 quite dare. At 5.55, the male began to call his alarm note be- 

 hind me. (His behavior was difficult to understand from the 

 time I had first ventured to sit close to the nest, for he had 

 shown no more timidity than the female before that. He never 

 fed the young after I changed. my position to eight feet from the 

 nest, but having changed, I kept it while His Majecty told me in 

 no uncertain tones what he thought of me, having to watch me 

 instead of helping to provide for his family). At 6.15, one of the 

 young gave the cry, "kee yer" twice inside the nest — for the 

 first time in my presence. Five minutes afterward, I heard the 

 male give the "wick" cry, and at 6.25 he came near and preened 

 his feathers, having had, presumably, a bath. It was over an 

 hour since last feeding when the female came to the nest again at 

 6.43. She fed three, then went into the nest, down under that 

 struggling mass of nestlings (I could see them bob up from the 

 pressure beneath them) , and cleaned the nest. Even after seeing 

 I fail to understand how she did it. The male came at 6.47 and 

 remained near until 7.12 when he gave the "kee-yer" cry, and a 

 young bird answered him twice, in recognition for the first time. 



July 13, 11.15 A. M.-12.15 p. M. — I took my position under the 

 blazing sun, with no protection and placed my camera upon a 

 water-pail turned upside down that I might get a photograph of 

 the flicker as she fed her young. I hoped that she would come 

 at once, but a water-pail and a camera were yet to be learned, 



