roundings ma}' deceive the eye. Whis- 

 tler has used Naples yellow so the ob- 

 server declares it pure white. 



A good exercise in color recognition 

 is given in choosing masses of color on 

 the picture and telling what primary 

 colors are in them; also in compar- 

 ing two masses and saying which ap- 

 pears to have the more red or yellow 

 in it. 



Where the class have water colors 

 excellent practice may be had in select- 

 ing and mixing colors to correspond 

 with a given one. The mixing should 

 be first tried without placing the mixed 

 mass beside the copy. Very young 



children often make surprisingly ac- 

 curate judgments of color, and no 

 game pleases them mbre than a mix- 

 ing contest, having the game decided 

 in each instance by placing the best 

 work beside the original. 



No pictures have inspired so many 

 young people with a desire to copy as 

 have the color photographs. Their 

 perfection of detail has not discour- 

 aged such attempts. The more easily 

 copied lithograph has no such fascina- 

 tion. This shows that the nearer we 

 approach nature in any presentation 

 the more strongly we appeal to human 

 nature and draw out its latent powers. 



THE PILEATED WOODPECKER. 



BELLE P. DRURY. 



THIS noble bird may be found in 

 wooded districts of Illinois, but 

 I made its acquaintance in the 

 Indian Territory, where it is 

 quite common. 



In size and beauty of color it is 

 second only to the ivory-billed. 



The Choctaw Indians told me it was 

 the "Good God" bird. I asked what 

 they meant by that designation. The 

 reply was " Only listen and you will 

 know." 



For days I spent much time watch- 

 ing several pairs as they flew about 

 among the trees on the Shawnee Hills, 

 but the only sound I heard was the 

 hammering of their strong stone- 

 colored bills on the sides of the trees, 

 a noise that might easily be heard a 

 quarter of a mile away. They did not 

 descend to fallen logs for their prey 

 but made the chips and bark fly from 

 the upright trees. 



Naturalists say the pileated will oc- 

 casionally leave the insect-laden trees 

 in search of fruit and grain, a thing the 

 ivory-billed never does. 



My beautiful, noisy companions eyed 

 me and my opera glass suspiciously, 

 trying always to keep on the other 

 side of the tree from me, and, for a 

 time, gave me no hint of the reason for 

 their Indian name. 



But at last a hunter appeared upon 

 the scene when the frightened birds 

 bounded away through the air utter- 

 ing a cry which did indeed resemble 

 the words "Good God," spoken in 

 gutteral tones. The marksman brought 

 down a fine specimen, which he gave 

 to me. With magnificent red top-knot 

 and wide-spread wings it looks as if it 

 might be longing to fly back to its 

 home amone the Shawnee Hills. 



217 



