PECULIAR HABITS. 203 



"Hitchety! hatchety! up I go! " as he joyously 

 mounted liis beanstalk, in the old nursery story. 

 There was surely nothing amiss with this little 

 fellow, and, knowing almost nothing of the 



" Greys, whites, and reds, 

 Of pranked woodpeckers that ne'er g-ossip out, 

 But always tap at doors and gad about," 



I eagerly demanded his name, and was delighted 

 to hear in answer, "The sapsucker." I was 

 delighted because I hoped to see for myself 

 whether the bird merited the offensive name 

 bestowed upon him, or was the victim of hasty 

 generalization from careless observation or in- 

 sufficient data, like others of his race. The 

 close investigations of scientific men have re- 

 versed many j^opular decisions. They have 

 proved the crow to be the farmer's friend, most 

 of the hawks and owls to be laborers in his in- 

 terest, the kingbird to fare almost entirely upon 

 destructive insects rather than bees, and other 

 birds to be more sinned against than sinning. 



The first thing noted was the sapsucker 's 

 peculiar food - seeking habit. One bird made 

 the lawn a daily haunt, and we, living chiefly 

 on the veranda, saw him before us at all hours, 

 from dawn to dusk, and thus had the best possi- 

 ble chance to catch him in mischief, if to mis- 

 chief he inclined. He generally made his ap- 

 pearance flying in bounding, wavelike fashion, 



