284 BULLETIN 17 4, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



grass over the flicker's eggs. In 15 minutes the starlings returned 

 and a second was shot. I removed the grass, and. hiding nearby, 

 I saw nothing more of tlie third starling; but the flickers returned 

 soon, took possession of the box, and later raised the five young." 



Sydney K. Taber (1921) tells an interesting story of a battle be- 

 tween a male flicker and a pair of starlings for the possession of the 

 flickers' nest. The flicker had once pulled one of the starlings out 

 of the hole, but, during his absence, both of the starlings entered the 

 hole. 



On this second occasion, despairing of being able to pnll the two out at long 

 range, so to speak, the Flicker also plunged into the hole. Then followed a 

 battle royal, lasting for what seemed minutes. It was rather ghastly to imagine 

 the blows that were being dealt at closest quarters; not a sound was emitted, 

 but one could imagine what was going on within the hole by the feathers that 

 flew from it. The first bird to emerge — that is, to be pushed out, by fractious of 

 an inch — was one of the Starlings, which then flew away. The fight between 

 the other two birds then continued out of sight until something appeared at the 

 mouth of the hole. This proved to be the tail of the Flicker. When he had 

 backed out of the hole into view once more, it appeared that he and the remain- 

 ing Starling had clinched in a desperate grapple. With the latter gripping 

 one of the wings of the Flicker, they fell, fluttering and fighting, a distance of 

 nearly 40 feet; but just before touching the ground, they parted and flew in 

 dilTerent directions. * * * 



The above events occurred a fortnight ago. Since then the Starlings have 

 been in full possession of the hole of c<intention. 



Flickers figure largely in the food of duck hawks; their brightly 

 colored feathers are often found about the aeries. Other hawks take 

 their toll. O. A. Stevens sends me the following note on a sharp- 

 shinned hawk attacking a flicker, perhaps only in sport : "The hawk 

 settled in a partially dead, spreading pine tree, some 8 feet from the 

 top. A flicker perched about 6 feet above him, apparently from 

 curiosity. For some time they remained, the hawk sitting quietly, 

 preening, occasionally casting a glance at the flicker. The latter 

 teetered about on his perch, craning his neck at the hawk and even 

 dropping down a foot or so. After at least 10 minutes, the hawk 

 suddenly darted at the flicker and away they went, the flicker 

 twisting and escaping. It seems odd that an apparently heavy flier 

 like a flicker would escape so easily." 



Mr. Burns (1903) adds the broad-winged hawk to the flicker's 

 enemies; "a nest of lusty young hawks examined in July, '01, con- 

 tained the primaries and rectrices of one or two young Flickers, prob- 

 ably just out of the nest. * * * To the above Mr. Benj. T. Gault 

 adds the Blacksnake — one having been killed and cut open by a farm- 

 er's lad at a place he was stopping at in Reynolds county, Missouri, 

 contained the body of one of these woodpeckers." I have positively 

 recorded flickers in the food of the marsh hawk, Cooper's hawk, and 

 red-shouldered hawk; probably they are killed by all the larger hawks 



