MY WINTER COMPANIONS. 21 



terestino: account of tlie beliavior of certain 

 woodpeckers of his neighborhood in the winter 

 time. His description is graphic : 



'' This woodpecker's home," he writes, " will 

 be found in the hollow limb of a large tree, far 

 above the reach of the mink or the weasel, and, 

 should Mr. Raccoon apply for admission at the 

 door, he will find it too small to enter. So, 

 you see, the bird is safe from harm, and need 

 have no fear of the four-footed animals. But 

 the owl and hawk are his greatest enemies, and 

 it is amusing to see him in the morning peep- 

 ing out of his window to ascertain if the coast 

 is clear before he flits over to a neighboring 

 log or partially decayed tree, where, beneath 

 the bark, lie numerous large, fat, white worms, 

 good enough for the daintiest feathered epicure. 

 He is a warm-blooded fellow, and seems to rel- 

 ish being out of doors w^hen the weather is cold- 

 est." It is almost romantic, not to say thrilling, 

 to think of this hardy knight of the woods sit- 

 ting, warm and happy, in his castle in a tall tree, 

 while the wintry storm howls dismally around 

 his abode. 



One seldom fails to witness some freak of 

 bird behavior worth recording when one takes 

 a tramp to the woods. There, for example, was 

 the little crested titmouse which I watched on 



