180 AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



mere fun of it. When he had satisfied his destructive desires, he started 

 out on a flight of discovery out into the hall, down the stairway, and 

 into the front room. Here after flying about and knocking down many 

 things, he had tried to get out where he saw the light, at the large win- 

 dow. Window glass proving to much for him he tried the sill, but with 

 little success. Whether he finally returned as he came, up the stairs, 

 and through his hole to the outer air, or whether he went out by means 

 of the open fire-place in the parlor, and so up the chimney, we never 

 knew. 



The following season the cottage was shingled, and we had no further 

 visits from him indoors, but he still comes to take his meals nearby, 

 As I sat by my window this summer, I was attracted by the quick 

 motions of a bird on the lawn in front of the cottage. Turning my 

 glass upon him I readily identified him as the "Flicker" busily engaged 

 in gathering a dinner of ants; for, unlike many other members of the 

 woodpecker family, this bird feeds largely upon the ground. He was a 

 very handsome fellow, and when he flew, he showed the beautiful gold- 

 en color on the under side of his wings, which gives him one of his 

 common names. 



Later in the season, when most of the family had left the cottage, one 

 of the remaining members was awakened by the loud hammering of a 

 woodpecker on the cottage wall. Doubtless he had seen the departure 

 of trunks and baggage, and thought it was time for him to move in. Why 

 these birds make such holes is a mystery. A neighbor, who had been 

 much troubled by them, had two large holes cut in the walls of her bath- 

 house so that they might have entrance there, since she believed that 

 they made the holes for protection from storms. Instead of using the 

 holes so thoughtfully provided for them, the birds pecked three more 

 holes, mutilating the walls at the two ends of the bath-house. Three 

 large holes from six to eight inches deep in a solid wooden post or pile 

 at the boat-landing also give evidence of the strength of the Flicker's 

 bill. 



Should one ride along the road past some of these summer cottages, 

 after the season is over, he might be surprised to see some large faces 

 displayed at the windows. These are cut from advertising posters, and 

 placed in the windows to frighten away the feathered intruders. In one 

 window the life-sized visage of the president of the United States, in 

 another the "sweet astringent smile" (as Dr. Holmes pithily charac- 

 terises it) of Lydia Pinkham looks down upon the passer by. 



Whether the birds are thus intimidated is hard to tell. In spite of 

 the damage done, we should be very sorry to think that we had per- 

 manently driven away our bright little visitor. 



