WOODPECKERS. 55 



is also a summer visitant and one of our com- 

 mon birds. In the soft days of April we listen 

 for his calling with the early songsters of 

 the grove. In May we catch him on a retired 

 sunny perch cooing to his mate-— a loving pair, 

 thrilling with emotion and true wilderness affection. 

 The)' sit close together on the perch, silent for 

 a moment, then they rise slightly, stretch out their 

 scarlet - banded necks, flutter their rich brown 

 plumage, spread out their beautifully marked, fan- 

 shaped tails, then turn half round toward each 

 other, dodging their bodies and uttering a low 

 whistling chuckle. That's wild bird courting. In 

 the last of the month they have their nest dug 

 in a decayed stump about as high as one can 

 reach from the ground. They have twelve 

 beautiful white eggs. These birds are very fond 

 of ants and their nests are generally fragrant with 

 the odor of formic acid. The Flicker, as he is 

 sometimes called, will occasionally stay here till 

 chill October is well advanced. Noisy and rest- 

 less in the first of the season, he is very quiet 

 and retired in autumn. 



