The Green Woodpecker. 87 



wards feed on a mixture of best ants' " eggs," finely pow- 

 dered puppy biscuit, and a few dried flies, made quite moist 

 but not mto a sticky mass; and some live insects 



I have neither described the plumage of this lovely 

 bird, nor yet its wild life, realising that both are sufficiently 

 well known to our readers. 



In conclusion 1 must state that the original of our 

 frontispiece belongs to my friend and fellow member, Lt. A. 

 Sutcliffe who has kindly lent it for reproduction. 



The Blackbird that Blighted My Life 



Bv B. Theo. Stewart. 



As a child, nothing pleased me better than to listen to 

 stories of an exiled royal ancestor who was known to his 

 de\'oted followers as the Blackbird* 



\'ery tenderly would 1 Io\-c and cherish Tardus merula, 

 but alas! he will have none of me. 



As a youngster I climbed up an ancient ivy-covered 

 well-hous'C (a dangerous spot to investigate), on the top of 

 which a pair of Blackbirds had builded them a nest. I 

 secured a fine cock nestling. There were four infants and I 

 only stole one. Unfortunately the parents saw the theft and 

 they haunted me with their cries of rage. 



For days after, whenever I appeared, one or other of those 

 wretched birds would pounce down, flying close to my face, 

 and would scream out to all their feathered neighbours "Here 

 is the thief." They followed me about the grounds, making 

 very personal remarks on my appearance un'til I really felt 

 horribly ashamed of myself. 



They found out where I kept the lost child and at- 

 tacked It violently through the bars of the cage (it evidently 

 shared in my disgrace). I never observed them feeding it, 

 neither did they poison it as country legend hath it, tho' their 

 remarks were enough to poison both of us ! 



*One of the many nickn.imes of Bonnie Prince Charlie. 



