A CURIOUS PARTY. Ill 



a loud, rapid " chit-it-it-it-it," increasing in vol- 

 ume and rising in pitch, as though he were 

 working himself up to some deed of despera- 

 tion. In a few minutes, however, he appeared 

 to get his feelings under control, and dropped to 

 a single-note cry, often repeated. It differed 

 widely from his loud call, " wok ! wok ! wok ! " 

 still more from the husky tones of his conver- 

 sation with others of his kind ; neither was it 

 like the war-cries with which he intimated to 

 another bird that he was not invited to break- 

 fast. I thought there must be trouble brew- 

 ing, especially as mingled with it was an occa- 

 sional excited " pe-auk ! " of a flicker. When I 

 reached the spot, I found a curious party, con- 

 sisting of two doves and three flickers, assembled 

 on one small tree, with the woodpecker on an 

 upper branch, as though addressing his remarks 

 to them. 



As I drew near the scene of the excitement, 

 the doves flew, and then the golden-wings ; but 

 the red-head held his ground, though he stopped 

 his cries when he saw help coming. In vain I 

 looked about for the cause of the row ; every- 

 thing was serene. It was a beautiful quiet even- 

 ing, and not a child, nor a dog, nor anything in 

 sight to make trouble. The tree stood quite 

 by itself, in the midst of grass that knew not 

 the clatter of the lawn-mower. 



