Rainy Weather and Wrens 



like that of a proud and very ancient old 

 maid. 



His fixings are of six or seven colors, some 

 of which ''clash'' badly — the most con- 

 spicuous being the bluish-gray and faded 

 pink about his throat, the great patch of 

 scarlet at the nape of the neck, and the 

 flaming yellow of the under parts of the 

 wings. 



In this fondness for gay apparel the male 

 and female FUckers are almost exactly 

 aUke, being in this an exception to the 

 rule among birds, which is that the head 

 of the family appropriates the brighter, 

 showier tints all to himself, leaving only 

 the dull and neutral shades as the humble 

 portion of his mate. 



In flight also the Flicker differs markedly 

 from most birds, going up and down, 

 with a wave motion, like the Uttle American 

 Goldfinch. 



And finally he is even more exceptional 

 in one other particular. His behavior in 

 the mating season when making overtures 

 to the lady of his choice is one of the most 



[79] 



