44 



BIRD WORLD. 



THE FLICKER. 



The commonest woodpecker is in several ways so 

 different from the rest of his family that he deserves 



special mention. He 

 has a number of 

 names, but perhaps 

 is most commonly 

 called the Flicker, 

 from his note, and 

 the Golden-winged 

 Woodpecker, from 

 the golden yellow 

 of the under side 

 of his wings. 



Fig. 4. — Flicker. t t • i • i 



He IS a gay bn-d 

 if you see him near. He has a red band on his neck, 

 black mustaches, and round, black dots over his gray 

 breast. He lives more commonly among farms than 

 in the deep woods, and in battle he would be no 

 match for his cousins of the backwoods. 



Nor could the Flicker chop into the trees at such a 

 rate as they, for his bill is more slender, slightly 

 curved, and not so square at the tip. In fact, to get 

 his favorite food he has no chopping to do. When 

 he finds an ant-hill, he stands on the ground and, 

 darting out his tongue, with accurate aim glues one 

 after another of the helpless victims to its tip. 



