8-4 Sketches of Some Common Birds. 



they seem at home amid extremely varying environ- 

 ments. 



The red-headed woodpeckers form a circle of their own 

 in the orchard society ; for while they do not resent the 

 proximity of other species, or do not object to passing a 

 remark with any good-natured neighbor who desires to 

 exchange the news of the day, they prefer to be left to 

 their rhythmic tapping, or else to frolic with their own 

 kind. Indeed, their independence of the other species 

 resident in their resorts is rather remarkable. Their 

 sports and quarrels are quite among themselves, and no 

 doubt their noisy antics are regarded as extremely scan- 

 dalous by the sedate bluebirds and knightly robins. In 

 fact, Mrs. Robin frequently descends from her mud hovel 

 in the crotch of the trunk about which the revelers are 

 frolicking and proceeds to squeak her opinion of such 

 actions. Her disturbers, however, show only indifference 

 to the opinions of their neighbors, and continue their 

 play at hide-and-seek around the trunks and among 

 branches, their demonstrations sometimes assuming the 

 appearance of angry contention. In these social wran- 

 gles they never come to actual blows, like the robins in 

 their bloodless battles in midair, but usually choose sta- 

 tions on opposite sides of some convenient stub or branch, 

 around which they can dodge as their enemy, rival, or 

 companion hops into view in pursuit, without caring ap- 

 parently to overtake the leader. The flight of one of the 

 trio or quartet is a signal lor the others to give chase, all 

 calling noisily in the jarring tones mentioned, and on ad- 

 jacent stubs and trunks they again alight and rest for a 

 time, sometimes drumming as an interlude to their rol- 

 licking sport. These noisy gambols of the red-headed 

 woodpeckers have their counterpart in the duels and tri- 

 angular conflicts of the robins on the lawn and among 

 the trunks of the orchard and garden trees, and more 

 noticeably in the garrulous trooping of the blue jays from 

 tree-top to tree-top in early spring, apparently enjoying a 

 game of " pussy in the corner." 



In striking contrast to their social tendency at times, 

 there is a more serious phase of the life of the red-headed 

 woodpeckers. They spend a good share of their time in 



