52 THE FLICKER. 



Middle States ; from which we may infer that this species, as 

 well as the Cuckoos and Kingfishers, are more addicted to this 

 sort of thing, for which I believe no cause has yet been as- 

 signed, in the east than in the west. Most birds incubate by 

 squatting upon their eggs in an upright position. One obser- 

 ver suggests that the Flicker maj^ assume the posture of a 

 Screech Owl while upon the nest, as in every case where he has 

 opened the chamber it has been found lying upon the eggs ; 

 but it is more than possible that the parent lay close but mo- 

 mentarily to avoid the ialling dedr/s, protect the young or eggs, 

 or in the vain hope of escaping notice. Mr. Sinclair has had 

 exceptional opportunities of observing the bird on her nest 

 without disturbing her in the least, in the garret of the school 

 building alluded to under the head of Position ; the loft being 

 pitch dark excepting the light entering the rough entrance, in 

 front of which the female sat upright like an^^ ordinary bird. 

 I have ample proof that it is doubly monogamous, though the 

 observers with few exceptions have not found the male taking 

 his turn at covering the eggs. It may be a more common trait 

 in the east, where the bird is frequently lifted from a set of eggs 

 well along in incubation. Sometimes near the middle of the day 

 the male appears and utters a few love notes, when he is at 

 once joined by his brooding mate, who .soon hurries off in 

 search of food, while the devoted male takes her place on the 

 eggs. On June 12, '97, I was in the vicinity of a nest placed 

 35 feet up in the dead top of a chestnut tree in the woods, 

 while the change was being effected. Time, 1:45 P. M.; birds 

 on tree ; short duet of ivick-a-n'ick or breeding song ; both flew 

 away, male returning in five minutes, alighting 12 feet below 

 entrance, and after a thorough reconnoitre in which he undoubt- 

 edly observed me, ascended almost imperceptibly, halting four 

 times to look about. Silent and very cautious, taking 25 min- 

 utes to get within a foot of entrance. Still .suspicious and will 

 not enter, but noi.selessly flying to a bare hmb and dropping 

 from it to a lower and yet lower branch and back to main stem. 

 As I stole softly away from the foot of the tree, unable to re- 

 main longer, he peeped shjdy around the trunk at me. On 

 May 28, '98, at 12:30 P. M., I took a male from a nest contain- 

 ing 7 eggs, in which incubation varied from commenced to 

 small embryos, the absence of abdominal feathering proving 



