BIRD-NESTING WITH BURROUGHS 



27 



Far less approachable was a Flicker, which when we 

 tapped gently at the base of her home in an old cherry stub, 

 left the exit above, with a precipitation defying the speed ot 

 a lens shutter. While technically a failure, the picture ot 

 her hasty departure, nevertheless, forms an interesting 

 study in the use of the wing in flight. It will be observed 

 that, although a third of the bird still remains in the hole, 

 the wing is extended to a surprising degree and is alreadj' 

 in motion, as is shown by the failure of the lens to record 



Flicker Leaving Nest 



the outer primaries while securing, with some detail, an out 

 line of the secondaries. Indeed, the evidently much highei 

 speed with which the primaries were being moved, togethei 

 with the space shown in the picture between the outermost 

 secondary and innermost primary, suggest the possibility of 

 an independent movement of the distal portion of the wing. 

 A close examination of the negative shows that the outei 



