44 THE AUDUBON BULLETIN 
In 1931 a pair of Flickers visited the stub, and after much apparent 
consultation and noisy demonstrations, decided to build, or I should prop- 
erly say, excavate. The stub being in plain view, the family watched with 
great interest the slow but persistent digging in of Mrs. Flicker. 
Gradually her body would be farther out of sight, first head and neck, 
then shoulders, next the body, leaving only the spiny tail showing; finally no 
portion would be visible, and the only evidence of activity was the muffled 
pecking and the increased accumulation of chips at the base of the tree, 
During the excavating process, curious Sparrows would sit above craning 
their necks in their desire to see what was happening. They made no 
effort, however, to interfere, as no doubt they knew of the efficiency of 
the strong Flicker bill. 
In due course we knew that the birdlings had hatched out, and almost 
before we realized that it could be possible, heads would show at the 
entrance of the nest, and the process of feeding could easily be observed. 
Then would be noted the coaxing of the young birds to fly, with usually 
one more backward than the others, holding out until the rest of the brood 
had been away for several days. 
In 1932 and 1933, the stub was occupied, each year a new nest being 
made, and in 1934 the fourth nest was excavated. In the meantime Star- 
lings had increased to such numbers that they scouted for abandoned 
Flicker holes, and a pair came to our stub tenement. They were so obnox- 
ious that eventually the Flickers left in disgust. The Starlings lost no 
time and built a nest in one hole, and soon after a second pair arrived. 
With the appropriation of the stub by the Starlings the English Sparrows 
also moved in. After the interlopers were well settled, I raided the tene- 
ment and destroyed two Starling nests and three Sparrows’ nests. 
Soon after the stub began to decay, we discovered that it was being 
used by a colony of large black ants. Cutting away the outer surface 
revealed a thriving ant community, and a large part of the stub reduced 
to a shell by their house building. We destroyed the ant colony by spray- 
ing into it a powerful insecticide, and since then they have not returned. 
During the decay of the stub, several species of fungi have taken 
possession. One of these is a perennial shelf mushroom, one of polyporus 
group, which although frequently removed appears again with the per- 
sistency of cancerous growth. At the base of the stub, evidently parasitic 
on the decaying roots, is a colony of black-spored Coprinus, probably 
C.. atramentarius. When these mushrooms appear, they are in sufficient 
numbers to provide a hearty meal, though we do not use them. 
Cinnamon vines and Wisteria have been trained up on the trunk, 
partially hiding its unsightly, scarred kody, while at the base a flower bed 
was made in the form of an oval, which has also added to the interest of 
the tenement. 
In order to discourage the Starlings, all of the Flicker holes have 
