A YEAR IN THE FIELDS 



she tried to avoid him among the branches. 

 A few days after, he rid himself of his un- 

 welcome neighbor in the following ingenious 

 manner : he fairly scuttled the other cavity ; 

 he drilled a hole into the bottom of it that 

 let in the light and the cold, and I saw the 

 female there no more. I did not see him 

 in the act of rendering this tenement unin- 

 habitable ; but one morning, behold it was 

 punctured at the bottom, and the circum- 

 stances all seemed to point to him as the 

 author of it. There is probably no gallan- 

 try among the birds except at the mating 

 season. I have frequently seen the male 

 woodpecker drive the female away from the 

 bone upon the tree. When she hopped 

 around to the other end and timidly nibbled 

 it, he would presently dart spitefully at her. 

 She would then take up her position in his 

 rear and wait till he had finished his meal. 

 The position of the female among the birds 

 is very much the same as that of woman 

 among savage tribes. Most of the drudgery 

 of life falls upon her, and the leavings of 

 the males are often her lot. 



My bird is a genuine little savage, doubt- 

 less, but I value him as a neighbor. It is 

 a satisfaction during the cold or stormy 

 26 



