THE BIRD OF MANY NAMES 
size and color as the pink rubber balls the 
children use in playing jackstones. From 
the top of the body sprang two long legs, two 
appendages that might some day be called 
wings, but now looked more like earth- 
worms, and a neck two inches long. Un- 
fortunately they are foreshortened in the 
photograph, as is also the protruding lower 
mandible of the beak, so much of the ludi- 
crous proportions are lost. Although they 
were so lively and squirming, they persisted 
in looking very dead in the picture. The 
one with his head tucked under was trying 
to brace himself by his long neck. Only 
politeness restrained the small boy spectator 
from shouting “ Rubber, rubber,*' and in 
my heart I echoed the thought. As soon 
as possible we returned them to the nest. 
A week later we visited them again, and 
this time were greeted by a storm of 
hisses that sounded like a swarm of bees. 
It could be heard twenty feet away on the 
ground. One by one six half-fledged 
flickers were lifted out and lowered in a 
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