142 DA VET'S PRIMER 



Of the flickers' stomachs examined, three \vere com- 

 pletely filled with ants. Two of these each contained 

 more than 3,000 individuals, while the third contained 

 fully 5,000. These ants belong to species which live 

 in the ground. It is these insects for which the flicker 

 is searching when it runs about in the grass, although 

 some grasshoppers also are then taken. The habit of 

 the flicker of pecking holes in buildings sometimes 

 greatly annoys his human friends. This habit is par- 

 ticularly noticeable in the California species. Observa- 

 tion has shown that the object of the work is to obtain 

 shelter for the winter. In the East most of the flickers 

 are migratory, and only a few remain at the North 

 where a shelter is necessary. These generally find a 

 safe retreat in the hollow tree in which they nested. 

 In California, however, where the birds do not migrate, 

 trees are not as abundant as in the East, and so build- 

 ings are brought into requisition and holes are drilled, 

 usually under the eaves, where a snug retreat for the 

 night is found. Often a dozen holes may be seen in 

 one building. Barns or other outbuildings are usually 

 selected, though a church is sometimes used. 



The red-headed woodpecker is well known east of 

 the Rocky Mountains, but is rather rare in New Eng- 

 land. Unlike some of the other species, it prefers fence 

 posts and telegraph poles to trees as a foraging ground. 

 Its food therefore naturally differs from that of the pre- 

 ceding species, and consists largely of adult beetles and 

 wasps, which it frequently captures on the wing, after 

 the fashion of flycatchers. Grasshoppers also form an 



