GUADALUPE FLICKER 307 



Thayer and Bangs (1908) say: "This well-marked island form is in 

 all probability doomed to speedy extinction, and will be the next of the 

 Guadalupe birds to go. Brown and Marsden found in all not more 

 than forty individuals in the island. In the small cypress grove near 

 the cabins there were four and in the large cypress woods about 

 thirty-five. 



"Mr. Brown tells us that in the breeding season, at least, the species 

 is wholly confined to the cypresses, none being seen in the pine woods. 

 The bird is very tame and unsuspicious and falls an easy prey to the 

 cats." 



Courtship. — Mr. Bryant (1887) noted Guadalupe flickers in court- 

 ship antics in January and in February. According to his descrip- 

 tion of their actions and their notes at such times, these performances 

 are evidently similar to those of other flickers elsewhere. 



Nesting. — Apparently Dr. Palmer found no nests and collected no 

 eggs of this flicker, but Mr. Bryant (1887) has this to say about its 

 nesting habits : 



By March 16, the birds were invariably found in pairs, and my wish to secure 

 a setting of eggs before departing seemed in a fair way of being fulfilled. 

 Strolling among the cypresses on the 27th of March, I found four trees upon 

 which the birds were at work or had been recently, and in such cases the birds 

 themselves were always to be found in the immediate vicinity. Passing a half- 

 dead tree I heard the sounding taps of a woodpecker at work, and as I neared 

 the spot, the slight noise which I made as I carefully picked my way over the 

 rock-strewn ground caused a handsome male bird to suddenly appear at an 

 opening about four feet high. With a foot grasping either side of the entrance 

 he gazed upon the intruder. Having comprehended the situation, he flew to 

 another tree, where he quietly awaited my inspection and departure. The hole 

 was then down about fifteen inches. By AprU 7, it had reached a depth of 

 about twenty inches and contained six fresh eggs, upon which the female was 

 then sitting, 



Mr. Brown collected, for the Thayer Museum, six sets of eggs, one 

 set of five, two sets of four, one set of three, and two single eggs, all 

 of which are now in the Museum of Comparative Zoology in Cam- 

 bridge, Mass. The eggs were collected on dates ranging from May 8 

 to June 8, 1906; the nests were all in cypresses, mostly old or dead 

 trees or stumps, at heights ranging from 4 to 20 feet above the ground, 

 and at altitudes of from 3,700 to 4,500 feet above sea level; one of 

 the cavities was only 2 inches deep, but some of the others were 18 

 or 20 inches deep and from d^o to 4 inches in diameter. 



Eggs. — The number of eggs laid by the Guadalupe flicker ap- 

 parently ranged from four to six. The eggs that I have seen, in Cam- 

 bridge, are ovate, pure white, and decidedly glossy, like other flickers' 

 eggs. The measurements of 23 eggs average 27.8 by 21.7 milli- 

 meters; the eggs showing the four extremes measure 30.2 by 21.1. 

 28.0 by 22.5, and 26.8 by 20.5 millimeters. 



