KNIGHTS OF THE CHISEL 



was the smallest of them which I had stationed at the 

 entrance that he might get the start of his tyrannical 

 stronger brother. 



Ned was too deep in Fourth of July and its aftermath 

 to come with me. He wanted to photograph them, 

 though, so next day we made another visit, but the 

 tender-hearted mistress of the place was so fearful that 

 the old birds would get frightened off by too much 

 photographing that we gave it up, and drove on to 

 more exciting adventures, which shall later be described. 



As our minds were on woodpeckers, it was but 

 natural that we should talk about them. Ned asked 

 me to tell him about some of the kinds which he had 

 never seen alive, and I was willing enough, for it is 

 always pleasant to share with others the enjoyment we 

 have had with the birds. Besides the Flicker, the only 

 others which were familiar to Ned were the Downy and 

 Hairy Woodpeckers, both of which, especially the 

 former, are common with us all the year around. 

 Besides these he has seen the beautiful one with varie- 

 gated plumage, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, which 

 we have only as a spring and fall migrant and never 

 seems very common, though they say that plenty of 

 them nest in the forests of northern New England. 

 This is the kind which bores so many small round holes 

 in apple trees, sometimes for finding grubs, but also to 

 drink the sap. 



Then there is the Red-headed Woodpc jker, red, 

 white and blue, a gaudy bird, with its flaming illiant 



94 



