WINTER NEIGHBORS. 157 



grape-arbor, and on still mornings can be heard a 

 long distance. 



A friend of mine in a Southern city tells me of a 

 red-headed woodpecker that drums upon a lightning- 

 rod on his neighbor's house. Nearly every clear, still 

 morning at certain seasons, he says, this musical rap- 

 ping may be heard. " He alternates his tapping with 

 his stridulous call, and the effect on a cool, autumn- 

 like morning is very pleasing." 



The high-hole appears to drum more promiscu- 

 ously than does downy. He utters his long, loud 

 spring call, which whick which whick, and 

 then begins to rap with his beak upon his perch be- 

 fore the last note has reached your ear. I have seen 

 him drum sitting upon the ridge of the barn. The 

 log cock, or pileated woodpecker, the largest and 

 wildest of our Northern species, I have never heard 

 drum. His blows should wake the echoes. 



When the woodpecker is searching for food, or 

 laying siege to some hidden grub, the sound of his 

 hammer is dead or muffled, and is heard but a few 

 yards. It is only upon dry, seasoned timber, freed 

 of its bark, that he beats his reveille to spring and 

 woos his mate. 



Wilson was evidently familiar with this vernal 

 drumming of the woodpeckers, but quite misinter- 

 prets it. Speaking of the red-bellied species, he says : 

 " It rattles like the rest of the tribe on the dead 

 limbs, and with such violence as to be heard in still 

 weather more than half a mile off ; and listens to 



