Sherman — Sign of Northern P^ijcker. 15!) 



foot, but most of the time they fasted. Late in the after- 

 noon Bkie flew from the nest, leaving Redfoot to spend the 

 night alone. 



The next morning Redfoot still clung to the hole, although 

 good strong branches swung invitingly only four feet away. 

 For two months and a half the Flickers' nest had claimed 

 more than its share of attention. Of the twenty-five species that 

 have been found nesting on our grounds, more than half of 

 that number had nests there this year. Many of these were 

 advantageous subjects for study, and were demanding atten- 

 tion on that morning of June 30 while the little Flicker timid- 

 ly lingered. Somewhere in the tree-tops was Blue and the two 

 answered call for call. The hand might still caress the form 

 of the little bird as it hesitated to make the frightful plunge. 

 Finally, at nine o'clock and eight minutes, standard time, 

 there was a flash of feathers, light streamed through the erst- 

 while darkened hole, for the wilderness of green had enfolded 

 little Redfoot. 



Both Whitefoot and Blue were seen and identified on the 

 mornings following their departure from the nest. For six 

 days Redfoot remained in the tops of the maples ; sometimes 

 it could be heard crying for food, and sometimes a parent 

 could be seen trying to coax it away. On the morning of 

 July 5 both parents were seen to leave its neighborhood, and 

 it soon flew to an old apple tree, then along a fence : this was 

 its first excursion. Several times thereafter it was identified 

 by means of its crimson badge. For a few weeks all was 

 very quiet in Flicker-land. On July 22 weaning time must 

 have been near at hand, when the jjarents appeared followed 

 by three youngsters, and Due begging for food was pecked a 

 decided refusal 1)y the mother. 



On the nights of the eighth, ninth, tenth and thirteenth of 

 August a young Flicker roosted in the old nest box. On two 

 nights in July and two in September the father occupied the 

 west hole. Possibly it was the unusual dryness of the sum- 

 mer tliat caused him to desert liis old lodging-place. I be- 



