THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 185 



Adult female. Similar, but lacks the black marks at the base of the bill. 



Young in first summer. Similar, but duller; breast band and scarlet cres- 

 cent not so well developed ; sometimes the whole top of the head is tinged with 

 red. 



Nest in a tree trunk ; eggs, five to nine, glossy white, 1.10 x .90. 



Abundant summer resident and occasional resident. Arrives Feb- 

 ruary 17th (March 13th), departs November 10th. 



The Flicker is one of our most familiar and abundant birds. In 

 the spring the loud, rapid call, "kuk, kuk, kuk, kuk, kuk, kuk/" etc., is 

 heard from every piece of woodland, as well as the peculiar "whi-chew, 

 whi-chew," uttered as the birds chase each other around a tree trunk. 

 The Flicker has also a single loud call note. In habits and structure it 

 dif ers from all other Woodpeckers, being partly terrestrial and a great 

 devourer of ants, these insects constituting forty-five per cent, of its 

 food, as many as three thousand having been found in a single stomach 

 by Professor Beal. The Flicker also eats more berries and seed than 

 other Woodpeckers. In flight it is easily recognized by the conspicu- 

 ous white rump. 



Mr. T. M. Trippe records several specimens, shot at Orange, which 

 had red feathers in the black malar stripe, thus approaching the West- 

 ern Red-shafted Flicker. 1 



Order MACROCHIRES. 



Goatsuckers, Swifts and Hummingbirds. 

 Family CAPRIMULGID^E. 



THE GOATSUCKERS. 



These are nocturnal or semi-nocturnal birds, peculiar in their short 

 bill, very large mouth and long narrow wings. They make no nest, 

 but lay their eggs on the bare ground. Their food consists entirely of 

 insects. 



a. Plumage finely mottled black and white, a large white spot on the middle of 



the wing, no bristles at the mouth. NIGHTHAWK, p. 186 



aa. Plumage brown and buff, no white on the wing, long bristles at the sides of 



the mouth. WHIP-POOR-WILL, p. 186 



Amer. Nat, VII.. p. 498. 



