THE NORTHERN FLICKER. 



359 



is in progress, and the love-making of the Flicker is both the most curious 

 and the most conspicuous of anything in that order. An infatuated Flicker 

 is a very soft and foolish-looking bird, 

 but it must be admitted that he thor- 

 oughly understands the feminine heart 

 and succeeds in love beyond the luck 

 of most. A bevy of suitors will lay 

 seige to the affections of a fair, 

 lady, say in the top of a syca- 

 more tree. Altho the rivalry 

 is fierce, one gallant at a time 

 will be allowed to display his 

 charms. This he does by ad- 

 vancing toward the female 

 along a horizontal limb, bow- 

 ing, scraping, pirouetting, 

 and swaying his head from 

 side to side with a rythmical 

 motion. Now and then the 

 swain pretends to lose his 

 balance, being quite blinded, 

 you see, by the luster of 

 milady's eyes, but in reality 

 he does it that he may have 

 an excuse to throw up his 

 wings and display the daz- 

 zling cloth of gold which 

 lines them. The lady is dis- 

 posed to be critical at 

 first, and backs away 

 in apparent indifference 

 or flies off to another 

 limb in the same tree. 

 This is only a 

 fair test of gal- 

 lantry and pro- 

 vokes pursuit, 

 as was expect- 

 ed. Hour after 

 hour, and it 



may be day after day, the suit is pressed by one and another until the maiden 

 indicates her preference, and begins to respond in kind by nodding and bowing 



Photo by 

 the Author 



Taken near Columbus. 



A LOWLY NEST. 



