FLICKER. 



17 



terrestrial of all the woodpeckers, in spite of his high-perching and 

 high-nesting proclivities, and may often be seen walking about in the 

 grass like a meadow lark. 



In the investigation of its food habits 230 stomachs were examined, 

 taken in every month of the year, although January and February 

 have but 1 each. They were collected in 22 States, the District of 

 Columbia, and the Northwest Territory, and are fairly well distributed 

 over the region east of the Rocky Mountains. They contained 56 per 

 cent of animal matter,' 39 percent of vegetable, and 5 percent of min- 

 eral. It will be seen that the quantity of animal or insect material is 

 less than in either of the preceding species, and the mineral matter 

 somewhat greater. The following orders of insects were represented : 



ittn 



Fio. 2.— Flicker. 



Ants [Hymenoptera), beetles (Coleovtera), bugs {ITemiptera), grasshop- 

 pers and crickets ( Orthoptera), caterpillars (Lepidoptera), Mayflies ( Ephe- 

 mmda) and whiteants( Jsopterrt). Spiders and myriapods also were pres- 

 ent. An inspection of this insect matter shows the rather remarkable 

 fact that more than three- fourths of it, or 43 percent of the whole food, 

 consists of ants. If the mineral matter is thrown out as not being prop- 

 erly food, we find that more than 45 percent of the Flicker's food for 

 the year consists of ants. Among the stomachs examined several 

 contained nothing but ants. In two of these the actual number of ants 

 present in each stomach exceeded 3,000. These were' mostly small 

 species that live in burrows in the earth, so that it is evident that 

 when Flickers are seen upon the ground they are usually in search of 

 18269— No. 7 2 



