THE IOWA ORNITHOLOGIST. 



51 



A Peculiar Nssiin^ Siie. 



It was early during- the collect- 

 ing- of the spring- of 1890 that my 

 attention was called to the pecu- 

 liar nesting- site of a pair of Yel- 

 low-shafted Flickers which I shall 

 describe. 



On a small hill about a quarter 

 of a mile distant from my home 

 stood a haystack which had been 

 placed there two years prior to 

 the time of which I write. The 

 neig'hbor to whom the stack be- 

 Icnged cut it throug-h the middle 

 and hauled away one portion of it, 

 leaving- the other standing- with 

 one end smoothly trimmed. 



Soon after the opening- of the 

 following- spring- when I happen- 

 ed to pass that way I saw a pair of 

 Yellow-shafted Flickers about the 

 stack, which showed sig-ns of 

 wanting- to make that a "fixed 

 habitation." 



One brig-ht morning- a few days 

 later when passing- I was g-reatly 

 amused at the efforts of one of 

 , the pair. It was clinging- to the 

 perpendicular end of the stack, 

 and throwing- out chipped straw 

 froiTL an excavation which it was 

 at work on at a rate to defy com- 

 petition. 



The work on the excavation 

 was continued throug-h nearly a 

 week. Of course it was interspers- 

 ed with frequent romps and 

 song- and games of peek-a-boo a- 

 round the fence posts, a very char- 

 acteristic performance for Flick- 



ers which have hit on a nes!.ing 

 site and are progressing in its 

 completion. 



When completed the excavation 

 was about twenty inches deep. 

 The entrance was made eight feet 

 or more above the ground. The 

 burrow was two and one-half in- 

 ches in diameter and dug directly 

 into the stack for six inches then 

 turned directly downward and was 

 slightly enlarged at the bottom. 

 The nest was composed of chips 

 of straw. The depositing of the 

 eggs soon followed the comple- 

 tion of the nest, and on the 28th 

 of May 1890, I took a line set of 

 seven eggs which are at present 

 in my collection. 



The pair lingered around and 

 after the usual time deposited a 

 second set which was taken June 

 14th. 



The birds centered about the 

 place until autumn. During that 

 winter the portion of stack was 

 removed. 



The Flickers returned the follow- 

 ing spring and after a brief so- 

 journ thsy left for parts unknown. 

 I never have been quite able to 

 understand the philosophy of this 

 nesting site, for woodland is a- 

 bundant here. A wooded creek was 

 less thau half a mile distant while 

 large orchards and groves abound 

 on every hand. Was it not sheer 

 laziness on their part? 

 WiivL A. Bryan, — Oologist. 

 New Sharon, la. 



