1892.] BoLLES, Toiing SafsHckers in Caftivity. ^^ \ 



could hop through from one to the other on the same level. 

 They did this at once. I then added a third room which could 

 be entered by a door in its side, and found that the birds quickly 

 availed themselves of the chance to be alone for a part of each 

 day. 



One warm day I sprinkled the birds with water. They were 

 greatly astonished, but at once surprised me as much as I had 

 them, for they flung themselves upon the floor and went through 

 all the head, wing, and feather motions of a bath, scattering about 

 chips and sawdust in a most energetic way. It was their first 

 acquaintance with water. I at once supplied them with a large 

 dish of water, in which they bathed occasionally during the 

 summer, — usually, it seemed to me, towards evening, and when 

 no one was near. 



The smell of maple svrup which pervaded their cage of course 

 attracted insects, which crawled up and down the outside of the 

 wire netting, occasionally finding a crack in the cage and enter- 

 ing. The }'Oung birds were always on the alert to catch one of 

 these intruders, and made a great fuss eating it, — squealing, and 

 crowding into a corner to hold it securely between their breasts 

 and the boards until they could swallow it in just the right way. 

 The number of insects caught by them in this way was small, 

 and I do not think amounted at any time to ten per cent of their 

 food. 



Within a week after the birds' capture I felt sure that Number 

 Two was a male, because red feathers appeared on his throat. 

 I surmised that Number Three was a female, partly on account 

 of her more subdued coloring and partly from her gentleness. 

 Numl)er One bullied both Two and Three and was more noisy 

 than they. By July 30 I had reduced the number of their syrup 

 cups to one — a large earthern saucer which I filled once a day, 

 sometimes twice. If I allowed the saucer to become dry, the 

 Woodpeckers drummed more and more vigorously until I sup- 

 plied their needs. Sometimes all three birds would drink at 

 once. They were astir by 5.30 a.m., and still noisy at 8 p.m. 

 On July 30 my notes say, "They are perfectly healthy and 

 happy." 



About noon on July 23 the door of the Woodpeckers' cage 

 was opened by mistake, and not long after I discovered that 



15 



