V 



HOW A FLICKER FEEDS HER YOUNG 1 



As the house of the woodpecker has no win- 

 dows and the old bird very nearly fills the door- 

 way when she comes home, it is hard to find out 

 just how she feeds her little ones. But one of 

 our best naturalists has had the opportunity to 

 observe it, and has told what he saw. 



A flicker had built a nest in the trunk of a 

 rather small dead tree which, after the eggs were 

 hatched, was accidentally broken off just at 

 the entrance hole. This left the whole cavity 

 exposed to the weather ; but it was too late to 

 desert the nest, and impossible to remove the 

 young birds to another nest. 



When first visited, the five little birds were 

 blind, naked, and helpless. They were mother- 

 less, too. Some one must have killed their pretty 

 mother ; for she never came to feed them, and 

 the father was taking all the care of his little 

 family. When disturbed the little birds hissed 

 like snakes, as is the habit of the callow young 



1 Based upon the observations of Mr. William Brewster. 



