Drummers and Carpenters 



you run and jump for in the spring ? What is Mr. 

 Wren singing for over there? Downy is drum- 

 ming for precisely the same reason happiness. 

 He can't run and jump and he can't sing, but 

 he can drum. By the way, do you know that 

 Downy is one of the most useful birds in the Old 

 Orchard?" 



Just then Downy flew away, but hardly had he 

 disappeared when another drummer took his 

 place. At first Peter thought Downy had re- 

 turned until he noticed that the newcomer was 

 just a bit bigger than Downy. Jenny Wren's 

 sharp eyes spied him at once- 



"Hello!" she exclaimed. "There's Hairy. Did 

 you ever see two cousins look more alike? If it 

 were not that Hairy is bigger than Downy it would 

 be hard work to tell them apart. Do you see any 

 other difference, Peter ? " 



Peter stared and blinked and stared again, 

 then slowly shook his head. "No," he confessed, 



"i don't." ; 



"That shows you haven't learned to use your 

 eyes, Peter," said Jenny rather sharply. "Look 

 at the outside feathers of his tail; they are all 

 white. Downy's outside tail feathers have little 

 bars of black. Hairy is just as good a carpenter 

 as is Downy, but for that matter I don't know of 

 a member of the Woodpecker family who isn't a 

 [79] 



