A HERMIT'S WILD FRIENDS 



what I said to them, for they returned at once 

 to enlarging the hole in the birch. The hole 

 in the paper-birch, which formed the entrance, 

 was one inch and one eighth in diameter, and 

 round as it could well be. The depth was six 

 inches, and the birds were at work in the 

 bottom making the hole deeper. While the 

 husband was eating his breakfast, the little 

 wife was down in the hole, and I could hear 

 the blows of her sharp bill. After breakfast, 

 the husband flew to the entrance and called 

 to his wife. She bobbed out and he bobbed 

 in. Instead of resting, she occupied the time 

 with eating hemp-seed. At the end of three 

 minutes, the mate appeared with a piece of 

 dead wood in his bill. He flung the wood one 

 side, and disappeared calling his mate. She 

 flew to the entrance, and, clinging to the edge 

 of the hole, she reached down inside and 

 brought up a bill-full of chippings, which she 

 dropped outside. This was followed up until 

 the chippings were exhausted. Then the male 

 hammered away, while the female ate some 

 more hemp-seed. Three minutes later he came 

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