Sherman — Sign of Xorthern Flicker. 143 



minutes. Incubation began that day. On the morning of 

 June 1, the eggs were hatching; four tiny Flickers were 

 squirming in the nest, and as the father raised himself into a 

 standing position one of the remaining eggs broke slowly open 

 and another Flicker kicked itself into the world. It was a 

 moment thrilling with interest when bird and shell were lifted 

 from the nest, and the shell was found to bear the number six. 

 The hour was nine o'clock and forty" minutes. The exact time 

 for incubation had been twelve days, three hours and fifty-two 

 minutes. The seventh egg hatched four hours later making 

 its period of incubation eleven days and eight hours nearly. 



I was anxious to be beside the Flicker's box when their eggs 

 hatched this year. Two periods for incubation had now been 

 furnished, nine days and ten days from the date of the laying 

 of the last egg. Therefore my return was planned for June 2. 

 During the thirt)-six hours that the iron horse bore two of us 

 swiftly homeward, crossing and recrossing our longest rivers, 

 and rushino" over our most beautiful plains, one question kept 

 recurring with insistent frequency: Was there danger in this 

 case that the period might be shorter than ten days ? If so, we 

 -hould be too late for part of the hatching at least. When at 

 length the Sign of the Xorthern Flicker had been reached, one 

 peep into the nest revealed the facts that all nine eggs were 

 safe, and dark with the embryos of the living birds. 



The next morning being the tenth one from the date when 

 the last egg was laid, and the eleventh from the time incuba- 

 tion heoran. a very early stand was taken beside the nesting box. 

 hut it was not until five o'clock and forty-two minutes that the 

 occupant of egg No. 1 was sprawling in the nest. Three hours 

 later the shells of eggs No. 2 and No. 3 were chipped, but the 

 bird in No. 2, as well as that in No. 4. died in the shell after it 

 had been pierced. The bird from the third egg was hatched at 

 ten o'clock and two minutes, and the one from the fifth egg at 

 ten o'clock and twenty-five minutes. At half-past one in the af- 

 ternoon a shell that proved to be No. 6 broke open. This was 

 the egg that was laid on May 22 at five o'clock and eighteen 



