NORTHERN FLICKER 281 



inside the p;ara2:e at my summer cottage, which had been closed all 

 ^yilltel^ Mr. Forbush (1927) says that "during one winter at Ware- 

 ham one apparently slept on the wall of my summer cottage under 

 the eaves, clinging to one of the ornamental battens in an upright 

 position as it would cling to a tree trunk. This bird for some unac- 

 countable reason chose the north side of the cottage. He was there 

 night after night at dusk and also at daylight each morning. Mr. 

 R. F. Carr tells of a flicker that was accustomed to pass winter nights 

 in a chimney of an unoccupied dwelling in a thickly settled neighbor- 

 hood which undoubtedly was a more comfortable roosting place 

 than the north side of my cottage." 



Dr. Lynds Jones told Mr. Burns (1900) that "at Oberlin College 

 a single bird roosted between the vertical water pipe and Avail of 

 Spear Library for two successive winters, and another occupied the 

 cupola of the Theological Seminary the succeediuir winter." 



Flickers are generally regarded as peaceful harmless birds, but the 

 following two quotations indicate that they are sometimes otherwise. 



O. P. Allert (1934) writes from Giard^ Iowa: "On June 4, 1933, 

 while in the yard of my home, I was attracted by the cries of a 

 pair of Robins and saw a female Flicker in the act of killing the 

 two young that the Robins' nest contained. One was killed in the 

 nest, and the other either fell or was tliroAvn to the ground, where 

 the Flicker followed and dispatched it." 



Dr. Dayton Stoner (1932) writes: "AAliile the flicker is not habit- 

 ually belligerent, it does on occasion show some aggressiveness. This 

 most frequently occurs during the breeding season. For example, 

 on July 11, 1929, in the Parker woods south of Lake]3ort. I came 

 upon several flickers and two or three crows that were tormenting a 

 red-shouldered hawk. The flickers were pecking excitedly on the 

 limbs of the tree on which the hawk perched, and clamoring loudly 

 at it. Wlien the hawk flew off the flickers darted after it, pecking 

 it unmercifully until it lit again, when they were cautious about ap- 

 proaching close to the harassed hawk. This quarrel was continued 

 for more than half an hour." 



Voice. — The flicker has an elaborate vocabulary; no other wood- 

 pecker, and few other birds, can produce a greater variety of loud 

 striking calls and soft conversational notes. A number of its many 

 vernacular names are based on a fancied resemblance to some one of 

 its notes, and in most cases these names give a very fair idea of the 

 note. A few of such names are "flicker," "yucker," "wacup," "hit- 

 tock," "yarrup," "clape," and "piute"; and there are other modifica- 

 tions of these in different combinations of letters. 



The commonest and most characteristic note is the loud spring 

 call, of which Eugene P. Bicknell (1885) says: "Its long rolling 

 90801— ;;o 19 



