20 The Bulletin. 



fact, together with its loud, characteristic calls, has doubtless given 

 rise to the various names by which it is known. The Flicker is ex- 

 ceedingly sociable at times, and has the habit of entering the barns 

 and other outbuildings. While a student at the University of North 

 Carolina I knew flickers to frequently go into the New East Build- 

 ing through open windows. There is a church in the woods on Roan- 

 oke Island, or was some years ago, which the flickers often entered. 

 They also dug many large holes in the posts which supported the 

 roof of the porch in front. I know of no reason for this habit of 

 going in buildings. Perhaps it is in quest of food, maybe it is 

 out of simple curiosity, or possibly it is in an endeavor to find some 

 snug winter quarters, away from the cold winds. 



Although the Flicker is a true woodpecker, it is far more of a 

 ground-feeding bird than any other species of this family. They may 

 often be started from the ground in the fields or open woods where 

 they have been feeding on grasshoppers or other insects. 



The Bureau of Biological Survey of the United States Department 

 of Agriculture examined carefully the contents of 394 flickers' 

 stomachs taken in 28 States, including Canada. It was found that 

 about 50 per cent of their food consists of ants. The tremendous 

 number of these troublesome little pests which are killed may be 

 illustrated by the fact that two stomachs were found to contain 

 over 3,000 ants each. Flickers also eat various insects and oc- 

 casionally fruit in limited quantities. The fruit and berries con- 

 sumed appears to be largely wild in character, as shown by the fol- 

 lowing list of vegetable food found in the northern flickers ex- 

 amined : 



The services which flickers render in destroying the ground-in- 

 habiting ants may be better appreciated by looking carefully into the 

 relationship existing between ants and the destructive plant-lice with 

 which their lives are curiously associated. The world-known 

 scientist, Professor Comstock, in his "Manual of the Study of In- 

 sects," says: 



"It is easy to see what benefit ants derive from this association 

 with plant-lice,- and how they should learn that it is worth while 



