144 The \\'ilsox But.letix. Xo. T^-To. 



minutes, hence its period of inculcation had been twelve days, 

 eight hours and twelve minutes, while that of the sixth egg of 

 the previous year had been twelve days, three hours and fifty- 

 two minutes. Although the shell of one of the twin eggs was 

 chipped several hours before dark both of these eggs were 

 hatched in the night, and the ninth or last egg at ten o'clock 

 and forty-eight minutes on the following day, making its 

 period of incubation eleven da\s and five hours, while eleven 

 days and eight hours had been the period for the last egg of 

 the clutch of the preceeding year. Roughly speaking, then, the 

 time that our Flickers take for incubation is from eleven to 

 twelve days. 



The i)ellucid color of the newly hatched Flicker resembles 

 that of freshlv sun-lnirned human >kin. but so translucent is 

 the nestling's skin that immediately after a feeding one can 

 see the line of ants that stretches down the bird's throat and 

 remains in view two or three minutes before passing onward, 

 This may be witnessed for several days while the skin assumes 

 a coarser red, until it begins to thicken and become a bluish 

 hue, before the appearance of the pin-feathers. These may be 

 detected under the skin on the fifth, day at the same time that 

 bristle-like projections about one-sixteenth of an inch long an- 

 nounce the coming of the rectrices and remiges. 



Until the young are about eleven days old, they lie in a circle 

 m the nest, their long necks stretched over each other, then for 

 nearly a week they press against the side of the nest. At sev- 

 enteen or eighteen days of age. their claws having acquired a 

 needle-like sharpness, they begin to cling to the wall of the 

 nest, and when three weeks old they are able to climb to the 

 hole and be fed while the parent hangs outside. 



Although the eyes of the nestlings are not open until they 

 are ten days old yet these organs are by no means dormant. 

 An easy ]iroof of this is made by placing the hand noiselessly 

 over the entrance hole when they are no more than three or 

 four days old, and are lying apparently asleep : up comes every 

 head and they beg for food, getting none they soon sleep, when 



