ioo Zhe Warbler 



human habitation to meet their views and here they breed. It is probable 

 that the bird breeds also on Staten Island but as to this I have no personal 

 knowledge. 



The nest of the Red-wing is made entirely of dried grasses, ingeniously 

 woven together and attached to the branches of an alder or other low orowino- 

 shrub or to rushes or masses of tall wild meadow grass. It is unusual for a 

 nest to be placed as high up as six feet and frequently it is built almost 

 upon the ground, the center of a tuft of wild, rank, tall growing grass being 

 a favorable location. The eggs, three to five in number, are of an ash-gray 

 color, freely marked with black. The bird usually builds in colonies and 

 where conditions are favorable a great many pairs nest within a small area. 

 I know of a spot of marsh near Smithtown, L. I., not much if any over an 

 acre in extent where twenty to thirty pairs breed every season. Many of 

 the nests are only a few feet apart. 



The Red-wing stays with us until very late in the fall and returns quite 

 early in the spring. Rarely one or more may be seen at any time during 

 winter. I have in my collection two females and a male taken in 

 the Adirondacks (Warrensburg) some years ago late in December when the 

 ground was covered with deep snow. A flock of a score or more were seen 

 3 f the time. 



The Flicker 



{Colaptes aurattis) 



THE Flicker rejoices in no less than ninety-nine vernacular names, of 

 which High-holder, Clape, Yellow-Hammer, Cotton-Rump, Golden- 

 winged Woodpecker, Fiddler and Hackwell are the most common. He is 

 a bird that is very common in all parts of the country, nesting freely in 

 orchards near farm-houses, as well as in forests, yet he is one of the very 

 rarest of the birds that breed within the limits of the City of New York. 

 The Flicker is commonly seen during spring and fall migrations, but retires 

 to more rural localities to breed. The life and bustle of our city suburbs is 

 probably the cause of this, for while not objecting to nesting near a quiet 

 farmhouse, the bird appears to have an aversion to noise and activitv- as 

 met with near any large city. On the eastern end of Long Island he is a 

 common bird, yet not so abundant there as he is on the mainland across the 

 Sound in Connecticut or throughout New England. 



The nest is located in a dead or decaying tree; often one that appears to be 

 alive and thrifty, yet with a dead heart. The excavation is a large and 

 commodious one, always much wider inside than the round entrance hole, 

 and twelve to thirty inches deep. The pure white eggs, six to ten in 

 number, are laid on fine chips that accumulate during the process of 

 excavation. No other nesting material whatever is used. Though a 



